The two contenders fighting for “Top Premium Movie Channel” currently are HBO and Showtime. These premium cable networks not only offer great movies, but are now becoming known for “hit TV shows”. Lets breakdown these two “Heavy Hitters” and see which one gives you more bang for your buck.

HBO Movies-

HBO has 9 movie channels, 2 of which channels are in High Definition (HD). Their movies combine a good mixture of new releases and older movies. They have a good variety of movies and change their featured movies monthly. HBO has better new releases and looks to have a bigger share in the new release market.

Showtime Movies-

Showtime has 7 movie channels (including The Movie Channel), and provide a Showtime Channel and The Movie Channel on HD. Showtime has a decent variety of movies, but The Movie Channel lacks in their movies. Showtime offers new releases but many are inferior to the new releases that HBO is providing.

HBO TV Series-

HBO has a lot of TV Shows that are now featured such as “Entourage”, “Eastbound & Down”, “Curb Your Enthusiasm”, “Hard Knocks”, “Hung”, “Bill Maher”, and “True Blood”. HBO for a long time has been successful in TV series with shows such as “Sex in the City” and “The Sopranos” but these recent TV Shows have added to the depth of HBO and make them a top contender for best premium channel.

Showtime TV Series-

Showtime is currently featuring 6 TV series which include “Weeds”, “Dexter”, “Penn & Teller”, “Nurse Jackie”, “Inside the NFL”, and “The Tudors”. Showtime has two hit TV Series which are “Weeds” and “Dexter” but the other series leave the consumer wanting more series to the caliber of the two major hitters. If Showtime were able to create more hit TV series they could take the reign from HBO who has been the leader since “Sopranos” and “Sex in the City”.

Judges Decision

This was a tough decision but we have to give the Fight to HBO. HBO provides more of a variety, which makes it more appealing to the customer. Showtime has done a great job in the last couple of years with the release of “Weeds” and “Dexter” but need a couple more TV series to compete with the reigning champ HBO. Only time will tell, but Showtime is making progress and I think it’s only a matter of time until they conquer the almighty HBO.

2020

By Tony Pringle
http://www.MarketMixUp.com

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Fri Aug 14, 4:30 PM

By Jesse Spero

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LOS ANGELES, Calif. — “Twilight” might rule the big screen when it comes to the vampire world, but every week this summer HBO’s “True Blood” has been delivering gripping edge-of-your seat drama, action – and not to mention, a nice dose of dark comedy – on the small screen. At the center of all the bloody fun is Swedish import, Alexander Skarsgard, as vampire Eric Northman, the undead hunk who might save your life – or suck it right out of you!

AccessHollywood.com caught with the 32-year-old actor – the son of actor Stellan Skarsgard – who said his role on “True Blood” is unlike anything he ever imagined playing.

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Rising Star: Alexander Skarsgard

“A 1,000-year-old flying Viking vampire is quite different from most of my previous roles,” he told Access.

After working for years in his native Sweden, Alexander garnered Hollywood’s attention after appearing in the 2008 HBO miniseries, “Generation Kill,” a project that is still helping the actor now.

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Vampires Invade Hollywood: ‘True Blood’ Season 2 Premiere

“I just tweaked my accent from ‘Generation Kill’ a little and threw in a few Swedish words,” he said of his accent he uses on “True Blood,” which is set in the fictional city of Bon Temps, Louisiana.

Alexander said he was drawn to the role because he gets to walk the line between good and evil – sometimes in the same breath.

“[I love] that he drains people with an innocent smile on his face,” he said.

VIEW THE PHOTOS: First Look: Scenes From ‘True Blood’ Season 2

And when it comes to the future victims that he’ll possibly get to sink his teeth into – even Alexander doesn’t know what’s in store. But he’s hoping that Eric continues to reign supreme.

“The writers haven’t started working on season 3 yet, so I’m not sure,” he explained. “But I’m keeping my fingers crossed for world domination.”

And will fans see Eric and Sookie (Anna Paquin) get more intimate in the coming episodes?

“Maybe,” he said with a hint of excitement.

The actor said his newfound Hollywood heartthrob status is amazing – and something he’s more than willing to share with co-star Stephen Moyer, who plays vampire Bill Compton.

“The attention is very flattering,” he told Access. “I heard that fans are divided between Eric and Bill. To be honest, I’m Stephen’s biggest fan.”

“I actually founded the fan club ‘Bill’s Babes,’” he joked.

In addition to remaining episodes of Season 2 of “True Blood,” Alexander will be seen in the upcoming movies “Straw Dogs,” “13″ and “Metropia.”

All of which the actor said, “are all pretty dark films. Would be fun to do something with a little less blood and death before we start season 3 of ‘True Blood.’”

Lady Gaga fans will also recognize Alexander from the singer’s 9-minute mini-movie video for “Paparazzi,” which debuted earlier this summer.

With a stellar season of the HBO vampire series coming to a close, Alexander is sure to continue producing great work and creating complex and rich characters on the big and small screen. He said he hopes to work with, “Guillermo del Toro because he never lets fear get in the way of his curiosity” and “Woody Allen because he’s a legend.”

“Thanks Access Hollywood!” Alex said. “Glad you like the show and I’m extremely honored you picked me as the ‘new Rising Star.’”

Related Content from AccessHollywood.com:
PLAY IT NOW: Comic-Con 2009: ‘True Blood’ Cast Talks Comic-Con & Season 2
PLAY IT NOW: ‘True Blood’ Cast Answers: Why Are Vampires So Hot Right Now?

MORE ACCESS ON THESE TOPICS: Rising Star – Alexander Skarsgard – Anna Paquin – True Blood – Stephen Moyer

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It seems that currently a large percentage of our population has a fascination with vampires, werewolves and creatures of the night. This current trend is evident in all the television shows currently being screened around the world. Not only television shows but big screen movies, television commercials and breakfast cereal boxes as well.

The newest movie to hit the big screens is “New Moon” and it has been reported that Brad Pitt has teamed up with the makers of the “Twilight” series to star in a new vampire movie.

Is the fascination in response to the way these fantasy creatures are portrayed in these movies? Do we wish to possess some of the qualities portrayed? Maybe we identify with the things we feel are lacking in our own lives. Perhaps we long for that romantic, dangerous liaison to spark some excitement in our routine lives. When you find that vampire soul mate, it’s a union for life.

I’m sure we would all like to possess some of those mythical powers and be bestowed with immortality. Just think about this; vampires don’t age. Imagine the collapse of the beauty industry if we didn’t need all those anti-aging lotions and potions! Got to love that.

There would be no need of motorized transport because vampires can teleport anywhere, like magic. The saving of our Earth’s resources would be huge, not to mention the effect on pollution.

You wouldn’t have to speak either, vampires use telepathy. Yes, I can certainly see the many benefits of becoming a vampire.

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Sun Apr 18, 1:40 PM

INDIO, Calif. — Tempers heated up for “True Blood” star Alexander Skarsgard while enjoying music with rumored girlfriend Kate Bosworth in the desert at the Coachella Music & Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. on Saturday night.

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The actor was photographed being physically restrained by multiple people including a police officer at the festival. According to Pacific Coast News, the 33-year-old actor became angry by the relentless paparazzi snapping photos of him with Kate.

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Beyonce, Zooey Deschanel & More At The Coachella Music & Arts Festival 2010

Alexander, who was photographed with clenched fists, was calmed down by a police officer. No one was reportedly arrested during the incident.

See more hot shots of all the stars and performers at Coachella, HERE!

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Hot Shots Of ‘True Blood’s’ Men In Details

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Movie Reviews this week looks at the enjoyable teen fantasy Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant. Regardless of the strange title of this movie, it follows in the vein of Twilight, as a few teen fantasy movies have tried to emulate since the massive success of Twilight and it’s sequel New Moon.

Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant stars Chris Massoglia as Darren Shan, a well meaning, high achieving teenager, pleasing his parents, and doing well at school, however his best friend Steve played by Josh Hutcherson (Robin William’s son in RV) is regarded as bad company for Darren notably by his parents, and he is given an ultimatum after getting in trouble on account of Steve, to never see him again. As with any typical teenager feeling the need to rebel (there is a funny sequence where his father tells him, what is expected of him, college, job, family, repeatedly in that order, until Darren sees himself repeating those words to his own child).

While the two friends are hanging out, a mysterious limo drives by and out of it comes a flyer for a circus show, entitled Cirque Du Freak, hence the title of the movie, Steve as typical as the antagonist in a movie challenges Darren to come with him and attend it. It turns out Steve has a fascination for vampires, while Darren on the other hand has a fascination for spiders. On attending the Cirque Du Freak show, where a parade of circus freaks are shown for the audience’s amusement, notably a woman who can regenerate limbs, Corma Limbs played by Jane Krakowski (absolutely hilarious in 30 Rock), and Evra the snake boy, played amusingly by Patrick Fugit, as well as a monkey girl, Rebecca played by the adorable Jessica Carlson, there is a lovely scene where Darren asks her what her “freakishness” is, and she states bluntly she is a monkey girl, pauses for effect and states she has a tail, and stares at him for any hint at ridicule.

While watching one of the performances of a certain Larten Crepsley played charmingly by John C. Reilley (Step Brothers), Steve recognises him from one of his vampire books, and assures Darren he is a vampire, interestingly Larten overhears the two boys and gives them a warning not to spread mindless gossip. Darren on the other hand is fascinated by Larten’s spider, and after the show, breaks into his room and steals it; but not before finding Steve pleading with Larten to make him a vampire whilst hidden in the same room. Larten and his friend Gavner Purl played by Willem Dafoe (Spiderman) refuses, and after Larten tests his blood, he quickly spits it out and says Steve has bad blood. It turns out that there are two types of vampires, that have chosen different paths, the Vampaneze who prefer feeding and killing humans, and the others who do not, but prefer to hypnotize them, then feed on them.

Darren takes Larten’s spider, and the next day at school, while Steve assumes he is talking to his locker, Steve opens Darren’s bag and reveals the spider, which eventually bites Steve. With Steve facing imminent death, Darren goes back to the Cirque Du Freak and asks Larten if he has an antidote for the spider’s bite.

A mysterious character called Mr Tiny played by Michael Cerveris (he has one of those faces that seem strangely familiar but not quite sure where), who has the power to bring people back to life, has been looking forward for a conflict between the Vampaneze and the others for sometime, and he sees it in the destiny of the two boys, he would like Darren to join the Vampaneze, but Larten on finding about this, realises that there might be more to the boy than meets the eye, he tests his blood, and agrees to make him a half-vampire, i.e. being able to go out in the sun, and do his errands for him, however Larten’s girlfriend Madame Truska played by Salma Hayek (From Dusk Till Dawn [for a second recalling From Dusk Till Dawn one would expect her to be one of the vampires, but here she is a member of the Cirque Du Freak as a fortune-telling bearded lady]), urges Larten not to turn Darren into a vampire, after having a premonition. Darren initially reluctant finally agrees to this in order to save his friend’s life. Larten then tells him he can no longer stay with his family and so he must die (or at least give the impression he is dead).

Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant is an enjoyable fantasy movie with numerous characters that should be developed even more in a sequel or two, and even though the name might emit tales of horror it is a more a teen romantic fantasy than anything else.

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LOS ANGELES, Calif. — As Sookie Stackhouse on HBO’s ‘True Blood,’ Anna Paquin has found herself in steamy on-screen clinches with series and real life love, Stephen Moyer, who plays gentlemanly vampire, Bill Compton.

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True Blood – Yahoo! Canada News Photos

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Sooki, Bill, Jason, Tara and Eric — and the rest of the vampires, humans and the other supernatural beings of Bon Temps — are back in ‘True Blood’s’ Season 3 cast photo.

It may surprise you, but there are a variety of chat sites, and social networking communities that cater to people interested in the supernatural, and those particularly interested in vampires. In fact, with the sudden media craze over vampires, these communities are more popular than ever, with membership lists growing every single day.

There are three major types of vampire communities online. The first are the people who want to pretend to be vampires, writing interactive narratives about fictional lives that they lead. These sites often allow you to create profiles, upload pictures, and add music, movies, and blog posts to the site, to support the main story as it unfolds in the chat room. These are often known as vampire roleplaying or role playing sites, and can either revolve around a fictional story such as twilight, or can allow players to create their own unique characters and worlds.

Another type has people who actually believe in vampires, either in the reality of the mythic creatures, or who are part of the vampire subculture. These people often dress and act in what are considered vampiric styles, and may even go so far as to have fangs chiseled and implanted in their mouths. These communities often congregate around a physical club of some sort.

The final group is fans of vampiric fiction. These can include fans of popular books, movies, or TV shows about vampires in general. They congregate on sites to discuss rumors about new editions, or upcoming stories, and to generally chat and communicate about the fictional world of vampires.

One thing which is true is that the crowds which frequent the three different types are often interchangeable, with people who like acting as vampires being interested in famous media, and people who like vampire movies often being curious about the real life vampire underground. These groups of people often run in similar circles, and enjoy one another company, as long as they don’t dwell on the differences between them.

This article was written by Jim Slate, one of the contributors to a vampire chat room and social networking site, where people can sign up as any kind of fictional character they can imagine, and then get to act as that character, across our entire community.

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Print Story: First Look: ‘True Blood’ Season 3 Cast Shot Revealed on Yahoo! Canada News

Tue Apr 27, 1:43 PM

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Sooki, Bill, Jason, Tara and Eric — and the rest of the vampires, humans and the other supernatural beings of Bon Temps — are back in “True Blood’s” Season 3 cast photo.

If the sexy shot is any indication of what’s to come in the third season of the hit HBO series, fans should expect plenty of steamy action in the bayous of Louisiana.

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Underwear Mania: Stars & Supermodels In Their Skivvies

Is the wolf with the glowing orange eyes or the multiple serpents circling the cast foreshadowing for the upcoming season? The graveyard of skulls littering the ground points towards another season of exploding staked vamps and fangbangers drained dry and left for dead.

“True Blood” returns to HBO on June 13.

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Hot Shots Of ‘True Blood’s’ Men In Details

Related Content from AccessHollywood.com:
VIEW THE PHOTOS: First Look: ‘True Blood’ Season 3
VIEW THE PHOTOS: From Australia To Bon Temps: It’s ‘True Blood’ Star Ryan Kwanten
PLAY IT NOW: Behind The Scenes: ‘True Blood’s’ Deadly Sexy Details Cover Shoot
PLAY IT NOW: Dish Of Salt At The 2010 SAG Awards: Alexander Skarsgard Bares It All For ‘True Blood’

MORE ACCESS ON THESE TOPICS: True Blood – HBO – TV

Well now I can breathe a sigh of relief. There are people out there in the world of film who still understand the concept of vampires and know how to create an original yet also incredibly entertaining genre movie that STAYS TRUE TO THE CONCEPT they’re working with. I can’t even begin to describe how satisfying it was to see the sun come up and a vampire burn alive because of it, and that was just in the first 5 minutes. If the character had sparkled I would have walked out of the theater, and there’s something to be said for respecting decades worth of your peer’s work. Sure every author creates their own interpretation of the vampire myth, and even though people like Anne Rice get a lot of credit for the state of vampire legend prior to Twilight (I’d like to give a shout out to whoever coined the phrase Twi-hards, by the way), a new rash of films and television shows have recently started to bend the rules of the long dormant cultural icons.

Combining the vampire aesthetic with a 28 Days Later inspired outbreak backstory, the Spierig Brothers (whose first feature Undead was hailed as a promise of greater things to come) have brought us a vision of the future of the vampire phenomenon, the logical continuation of a concept in which the whole world becomes infected, the humans are in the minority (considering they are capable of dying from natural causes) and are being farmed for blood. The only problem is that the blood supply is running out, and Ethan Hawke is a scientist in search of an acceptable substitute. What happens next, is one hell of a wild ride, and if there’s anything general that can be said about the film as a whole, it’s that it occasionally spends too much time having fun, and too little time developing the story.

Where the film truly shines is in its visual style. Sprinkle in a blue tinged color palette for the night photography t reminiscent of Underworld, add Willem Dafoe to breathe life into the human resistance and deliver all kinds of terrific one-liners, and top it all off with some gnarly creature effects and more blood splattering kills than the average war film, and now you’re starting to get the sense of what kinds of notes Daybreakers manages to hit. It also has one of the more promising opening acts of the last few years, deftly establishing its tone and goals while simultaneously putting the audience on edge with a series of calculated scares and intense cinematography. It does unravel a bit after that, but the set up is everything you’d hope from this kind of movie.

Which brings us to the Achilles heel of the film, the editing. Aside from the opening act which is so full of exposition it would be hard for a studio to chop stuff out without losing important story components and is therefore the film’s strongest portion, the rest of the movie suffers from its clearly targeted 90 minute runtime. Some films need an extra half an hour to breath and linger, and Daybreakers aches from a lack of room to do so. Character jumps are more severe than they seem intended to be, and the whole last act goes by at a blistering pace, making leaps in logic and flashing forward in its own chronology to the point that the audience is left questioning what they just missed. The final confrontation is sorely lacking in set-up, not because there wasn’t any that got shot, but because I can see the studio note floating in the middle of the screen “Get To The End Faster.” I’d be very interested in seeing the work in its entirety, and not unlike Kurt Wimmer’s recent stylized vampire flick Ultraviolet, there may be a certain amount of the producers and the studio not really getting what it is they have, trying to force the film into a mold that really doesn’t apply.

What I want you to take away from this review is that Daybreakers is a ton of fun. It’s a blast, exactly the kind of entertainment you need in the studio “dump months” of January and February, and though it won’t stay with you very long after you see it, the experience is entirely enjoyable, something the depressed Oscar season tends to forget about. Grab some popcorn, take a seat, and strap yourself in. If I had to pick Six Flags or Daybreakers, the vampires would get my vote in this round… though I’m so down to get on a roller coaster to avoid Twilight The Third in June.

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The year 2010 has just begun the first vampire movie already landed on the screens. Twisted, bloody and even socially engaged, “Daybreakers” appears to bite the competition. Entertainment sometimes barbaric but still attractive.

In the near future, vampires rule over the Earth, raising human beings like cows to drink their blood. When reserves are running out, tests should be performed on survivors of the old dominant race. Despite its top rank, Edward (Ethan Hawke) sympathizes with the fugitives, regretting that his heart doesn’t beat as before. Through a series of events, he ends up helping the minority human alliance with Elvis (Willem Dafoe) who would find an antidote to transform all vampires in normal individuals.

A film like “Daybreakers” is savored in different ways. Those seeking thrills who have already seen “Avatar” dozens of times will find a similar story but funny, rhythmic, whose lack of originality of the premise is offset by spectacular gory scenes and other more deadly. As they have done on their previous and already troubling “Undead”, the Australian duo of directors, consisting of Michael and Peter Spierig, it gives heart to joy, ripping off arms and heads, giving them staging of a gothic atmosphere, asking their players (which also includes Sam Neill in dark ugly) of delirium without taking himself too seriously.

The filmmakers are not content merely to offer a simple guilty pleasure. They gild the pill, the grounding in social reality, a bit like George A. Romero to another era. It is so easy to replace the blood with oil or water. From the beginning, the tone is started by homeless people who literally die of thirst. That humanity is headed by vampires or humans, the result remains the same: man is a fool who spends his time killing his fellow men. Some sequences remind us even more introspective some historical massacres of the last millennium. In the presence of Ethan Hawke (who spends his time smoking like in old movies black Americans), it is also difficult not to mention the brilliant “Gattaca” by Andrew Niccol. The quest for normality of every moment in a society that tolerates no difference.

“Daybreakers” would of course have been more profound moments and detonate simplifying unnecessarily issues (like the final happens without warning). These drawbacks are minor, however at what could have another blockbuster being empty of meaning that exists only to show the king dollar. Instead, it is a less conventional entertainment than expected, including hemoglobin paid is offset by a certain moral depth. And to reach the female audience, the vampire hero Edward called same as in a “Twilight”!

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Whether you are Team Edward or Team Jacob, Team Angel or Team Spike there is one thing that all of these fans have in common and that is passion, passion for the characters and stories that make up the two most popular contributions to the pop culture of vampires in the last 20 years. With that passion, as is often the case, comes debate and controversy.

In 2008, the film adaptation of Stephanie Meyer’s book Twilight was released catapulting the series of books written by Stephanie Meyer off the charts. The Twilight craze had begun and fans all over the country devoured as much of the books, films, soundtracks and merchandise as possible. The series itself is four books, Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn.

There was another group of fans, a slightly older fan-base, that reacted with annoyance at the fans of the new craze claiming that this was nothing new, the storylines now famous bore a striking resemblance to the vampire culture that they had known and loved for 10-plus years, Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Buffy The Vampire Slayer, the TV series written by Joss Whedon, ran for seven seasons from 1997 through 2003. Gradually, the Buffy community began to grow ever more irritated at the attention being received by the Twilight series and the Twilight fans became equally as irritated claiming that the Twilight series was both different and superior to the Buffy series.

Twilight

While the Twilight craze was initiated by the release of the films, there was a large fan-base that was already in place; the books themselves had already generated a large following of devoted fans. I should warn the reader that I don’t consider someone a Twilight fan if they haven’t read the books, while the films are great; I am always biased towards the book in nearly every case. Whenever a book is adapted for film there is always so much material that is left out. The books chronicle the story of Bella Swan and her arrival in the town of Forks. She meets a young man named Edward who has a secret. The two of them fall in love and have to deal with the consequences related to friends, family, society and Edward’s secret.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer

The Buffy The Vampire Slayer series chronicles the story of Buffy Summers, a girl with a secret, and her arrival in the town of Sunnydale. She meets a young man named Angel who has a secret. The two of them fall in love and have to deal with the consequences related to friends, destiny, fate and their respective secrets.

Stephanie Meyer maintains that she had never seen Buffy The Vampire Slayer prior to writing her series. The creation of the Twilight world began when she had a dream about the two main characters and a dialogue that they have, which sparked the novels, the world and pop culture. While there is no reason to disbelieve Stephanie Meyer, there are some significant similarities between the two series.

** Warning: The remainder of this article will cover content from both series that would be considered a spoiler if you have not read all of the Twilight Series or seen the entire Buffy The Vampire Slayer series.**

Buffy Summers and Bella Swan, both independent strong young women. Each of them are deposited into a new town and left to climb the mountain of integrating into a new school, making new friends and adjusting to life with a single parent.

• Buffy falls in love with a vampire named Angel, Bella falls in love with a Vampire named Edward.
• The Buffy series had a werewolf named Oz who was part of the main cast of characters. Jacob is the werewolf in the Twilight Series.
• Both of the female leads have a best friend (female) with supernatural powers.
• Both series have a supernatural governing body, which sets rules for the worlds that they live in and disapproves of the relationship between vampire and human.
• In each series there is a male vampire and his female companion who come to town to stir up trouble.
• The topic of forbidden love, betrayal, and heartbreak are prevalent in both.
• The best-guy friend of the female lead is a victim of unrequited love.

The list of similarities goes on for quite a while longer, however, the point has been made.

In spite of all of the similarities, there are many ways in which the two storylines deviate.

• Buffy has supernatural powers from the introduction of her character and struggles with a dual identity through the entire series. Her life is a constant struggle between fate, destiny and free will. Bella does not come into full realization of her supernatural abilities until near the end of the series. While her story does not deal with such ominous ideas like fate and destiny, hers is more of a story of love, romance and family.
• Buffy is never able to make her relationship with Angel work and while he will always be the love of her life, their relationship will never be fully realized. Bella and Edward at the end of the series find them selves in love, happy, with a daughter and an eternity laid out before them.
• Buffy on a nearly weekly basis finds herself in the midst of a battle in which the fate of the world rests in the balance. Bella may feel often times that the world is ending but in reality the scope of her actions does not extend too far outside of Forks.
• Buffy is a hero, with that comes struggle, resolve, failure and redemption. Bella is a teenager, relatable, fallible, and her character is developed intensely throughout the series.

In my mind, the verdict is simple, Twilight is not a remake, nor did Buffy The Vampire Slayer largely inspire it. While there may be some similarities in the details of the characters and plot elements that can easily be explained by the genre in which the stories where based. When you write stories about vampires in modern day times, when your lead is a teenage female, it should be expected that some of the same plot devices will be present in both. When analyzing the rites of passage and the inner workings of love in youth it is no wonder that the stories unfold in similar ways after all Buffy and Bella are both human.

The overarching storyline of Buffy The Vampire Slayer is that of a young woman who was destined by fate to be a hero. She struggles with the dual identity of being a normal girl who wants to fall in love and the Slayer who carries the responsibility of protecting the world from unimaginable evil. The Twilight series is a character study of a young teenager caught up in a star-crossed love affair. However, discounting either story because of its similarity to previous works sets a scary precedent for countless great works of fiction. Over and over again we see stories with storylines that closely mirror and are inspired by other works. Some of them have come to be milestones of popular culture. The Harry Potter series, the Inheritance series and even the Star Wars series are all rooted in literature that predates when it was written. It doesn’t negate the value or the entertainment inherent in those works. We are all inspired daily by things that we see, read, and hear. Our lives are the sum of our experiences and as writers take experiences and use them to inspire their work it is still valuable, still entertaining and still honest.

Why must there be a choice? Why must you be on Team Buffy or Team Twilight? I for one am a huge fan of both series. I think they are fantastic stories full of elaborate characters, and deal with issues that are far reaching beyond the superficial layer of entertainment, that should be what you take away from either series. That is what has generated fans on both sides that share one thing in common, passion.

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Bryan Curry is the writer/host/producer of the Hellmouth Podcast. The Hellmouth Podcast is a part of the Hellmouth Empire and is centered on the Buffy The Vampire Slayer series created by Joss Whedon. The Hellmouth Podcast blog is a companion to the podcast which is updated daily with news from the Whedonverse and articles written by Bryan and other members of the Hellmouth Crew.

http://www.hellmouthpodcast.com

Bryan can be reached at hellmouthpodcast@gmail.com

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Technorati Tags: Vampires on TV

With the popularity of the Twilight series currently raging, many people are wondering what the big deal is about a story that revolves around vampires. Vampires have captured people’s imaginations for centuries, and to help others understand what the hype is all about, here is a list of 5 reasons why vampire stories are awesome.

1. We like to be scared – Why do people like to be scared? Well, perhaps it is when the thing to fear is fictional we feel safe in allowing ourselves to indulge in a made-up menace. Vampires are fictional creatures that exist only in stories, as opposed to the real world, so even when we read about or watch them do terrifying things a part of our brain also knows that the threat is not real.

2. Vampires are interesting – Even though they are fictional, Vampires are often depicted as very intriguing characters. They are immortal! They drink blood! Some turn into bats, some sleep in coffins, and some spontaneously combust when exposed to sunlight! Depending on the author, these characteristics vary but if there is a vampire in a story one can usually count on that character to possess qualities that make them extraordinary.

3. They often combine savagery with elegance – If vampires were simply savage killing machines then it is doubtful they would be as appealing. Instead, the idea that they rely on murder to survive combined with the fact that they are in general charming and regal seems to be a good combination of traits. While this is not always the case (remember the movie 30 Days of Night with Josh Hartnett?) vampire stories, such as the Twilight saga, often show a “human” side to vampires that endear them to us, even if they are still scary.

4. Reasonable explanations are boring – It is supposed by some that the concept of a vampire came from early attempts to explain natural occurrences that seemed too strange to have a natural explanation. For example, in pre-industrial societies when a body was exhumed, some people would interpret its bloated, ruddy appearance as having undergone a supernatural transformation. What we know today about natural decomposition and variables that affect it would easy explain the various phenomena that people witnessed then. However, even though we can explain things more reasonably doesn’t mean that people are ready to give up on the idea of mysterious creatures that roam the night!

5. People fear their own mortality – The concept of wanting to live forever is not new, and neither is the legend of vampires. The idea that there would be a way to cheat death, however far fetched, is always going to have some appeal. Not only do vampires live forever, but they often maintain a youthful, beautiful appearance. Enjoying eternal youth is something people have always fantasized about, which makes the appeal of vampires obvious!

Think vampires are intriguing? Find out what it’s like to walk in their footsteps by visiting http://www.vampirecostumes.com/ to get your own vampire costume and accessories! There are many styles to choose from for adults and children as well as a large selection of fangs, costume jewelry and other coordinating accessories.

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True Blood Soundtrack to Include M. Ward, Lucinda Williams, Beck, Many More

And on May 25, the second installment of the series' soundtrack, True Blood – Music From the HBO Original Series Volume II, will be released on Elektra …   Read More…

The Vampire Diaries Season 2 Approaches After First Chapter Ends

Vampire fang-atics in general will be able to cope throughout the summer, since True Blood returns on HBO and Twilight: Eclipse is released in late June. …   Read More…

Charlaine Harris not done with Sookie Stackhouse yet

She's written 10 Sookie books – the inspiration for HBO's smash series True Blood, which returns for its third season on June 13 – including the recently …   Read More…
That’s all the news for today guys, so until next time, thanks for stopping by.

Technorati Tags: trueblood series 2, Vampires on TV

The Morning's Top 5 Pop Culture Stories

While you wait for Season 3 to start, stream True Blood: Volume 2, which features a new song by Beck, and tracks from M. Ward, Lucinda Williams, …   Read More…

Smart list: Italian plumbers' joy ride

The next game in Nintendo's flagship series, Super Mario Galaxy 2, will launch on the Wii, continuing the space-laced joy ride of its …   Read More…

Nothing succeeds like Hollywood in India

The producers have had a long association with HBO; they came together for the series A Band of Brothers. This show, set in World War II, covers the humane …   Read More…
That’s all the news for today guys, so until next time, thanks for stopping by.

Technorati Tags: trueblood series 2, vampire tom

I hope you’ve been enjoying my posts lately. I thought I might do something different today and rustle up a few bits of info from around the WWW. These are some of the news items and blog posts that have been popular over the last few weeks. Leave me your thoughts.

Writing Daze: Wednedsay – A Writer’s Words – Write What You Know …

She is sharing with us a favorite writers quote and if it ties into the inspiration for her book? "Write What You Know" Katie: I think everyone has heard the quote “write what you know.” It's probably one of the first things we as … Taking an interest in vampires at an early age, she devoured every book, featuring those blood sucking creatures, in any genre she could find. She claims that, of all the monsters out there, vampires had always been the most interesting. …

INSIDIOUS INTERVIEWS: CHRISTOPHER MOORE TALKS ABOUT HIS VAMPIRE …

Bite Me is the follow-up to 2007's You Suck which is itself a sequel to 1995's Bloodsucking Fiends. Briefly, Bite Me follows the misadventures of Jody and Tommy, newly-turned San Franciscan vampires who, in the last instalment, …

Cookie Monster Cuts Back On Cookies

He is my son's favorite as well. He has never asked me for cookies because cookie monster eats them and if he had, i would tell him what any "normal" parent should. You eat your lunch and fruit first and you may have a cookie occasionally. …. But see, what I don't get is why they let a blood sucking vampire teach your children how to count (uh oh ive already said too much…maybe the Count will disapper) yet…fattnes is all of a sudden the biggest problem in the United …

Hope you enjoy the read as much as I did and please if you have something to say, use the comments form below to let everyone know your thoughts.

Have a great day!

Technorati Tags: favourite bloodsucking vampires, vampire tom

Ok so you might find the next few links interesting. These are from around the web, just random snippets that I’ve picked up in my reading, but I found some very cool information in them. You might too. Here goes…

Watch Blood Ties: The Complete Season One Movie Online « lilly8315756

“Blood Ties Season One” fits into the same niche as “Moonlight” and “The Dresden Files” — a detective series with vampires and spooky things, and a human mired in the supernatural. But it's not entirely the same — “Blood Ties” … tightly wound action scenes and some very sensual bloodsucking. And the writers spin up some lovely dialogue for Vicki and Henry, usually to each other (”It's just a conversation, it's nothing to worry about.” “That's what my father said to Anne …

My Entertainment OCD: The Vampire Diaries 1×22 – Founders Day

And how amazing did my two favorite couples look on their float? Enter Damon with his smirk and wave and I can't help it but I laughed so hard. That was brilliant and hysterical. Especially when gauged by Stefan & Elena's reaction. But now Damon is catching up … Bonnie realizes that more than her Best Friend's Love is out blood sucking. Damon confronts Evil Uncle (dad) John only to become victim #1 just after realizing that the damn Device is very much in working order. …

Zella Kate: My Ten Favorite Literary Villains

Count Dracula (Bram Stoker's Dracula): *cue organ music* I have a certain standard when it comes to vampires: I like my vampires mean. None of this mamby pamby sparkly crap. I want an honest-to-goodness bloodsucking vampire who sports a …

Hope you enjoy the read as much as I did and please if you have something to say, use the comments form below to let everyone know your thoughts.

Have a great day!

Technorati Tags: favourite bloodsucking vampires, vampire tom