Aha! I have scored the first few episodes of Trueblood from one of the street stalls (also Season 1 of Rome, the latest eps of Supernatural and a couple of movies), and I'm quite well disposed to it so far.

I have to say, Sookie is a lot like the book Sookie. The things that made me want to wallop her remain the same - however, since we're not locked into her POV, it's much less irritating. And I'm loving Chef Guy to pieces - SO much better than the characterisation in the books.

A point - Tara, in the books, isn't black, right? I'm sure I couldn't have missed that, because Harris does tend to make a big deal about race, and I'm sure that if Sookie had the ACTUAL opportunity to say "I'm not prejudiced! Some of my best friends are black people!" she would have. God knows Chef Guy's colour and sexual orientation were expounded at length, in order to make a point of how very accepting and broad minded Li'l Ol' Sookie was.

(Having now read the first of Harris's Lily Bard mysteries, I quite enjoyed it - but I found myself coming up against the same thing that put me off the Stackhouse books initially - this whole prissy prim prudish prejudiced bullshit thing. One of the characters in the Lily Bard book is revealed as being into bondage, which is given as a character note for her being sick, twisted, and generally a nasty, pathetic piece of work. I don't think it's spoilery to say that Harris pulls the same schtick in the Stackhouse books.) Which we get in the show, with Sookie's response to Bill's mention of an artery in the groin - she's all "Don't you be using nasty talk with me! Treat me like the lady I am!" It's - ack, I'm sure it's well-observed, this whole very proud, very conservative thing as a (female) expression of being working class. But it does drive me crazy. However, in the show we get her contrasted with all the other people, who cheerfully swear and talk dirty/make with the innuendo, so whilst I still don't love Sookie, I'm quite liking the 'verse.

I'm liking TV!Tara, myself. I mean, she's a walking disaster area, but I like her as a character. Although what on earth she sees in Jason baffles me - I found their interactions highly unlikely. Sam's quite sweet. Bill's a lot more interesting than I expected. I like Granny. I like the soundtrack, and the way it's shot. I like the Supernatural style scary vampire movement thing too.

I'm really quite hopeful, actually, on the basis of the first episode. I think I may like it more than the books - and I have read most of the books, despite my mixed feelings about Harris's attitudes to race and kink.

I've been reading the first book, keeping up with the episodes, and I'll get to finish the book after I see the finale on Monday. It's definitely different so far. I'm not sure if I'll read any more after this one, though. I have a tendency to shy away from books that take place in the American south. I think it's because I've lived here so long that one reason I read fantasy fiction is to get the *@&# away from here.

Sorry, angsty moment.

I do love Show Lafayette.

Whoa, VERY interesting news about one of the extras on the Deadwood complete box set: [link]

Too fucking bad I already bought the goddam seasons individually. HBO cocksuckers. Fucking Yankton!!!

Wow, HBO has a spot for Trueblood fanfiction on it's official site. Has that ever happened before?

The L word did it. Somebody even won a prize, iirc. But I can only believe that a good ficcer would help that show.(No offense to all those gorgeous actresses)

It's just nice to see it allowed, versus the Fox C&D crap that they issued to so many Buffy fan sites.

It's just nice to see it allowed, versus the Fox C&D crap that they issued to so many Buffy fan sites.

It does feel a bit like the times they are a-changin'. I mean, I remember being appalled that some twit handed a copy of that fabulous Hallelujah Firefly vid to Nathan Fillion - but now you've got Joss rec'ing that fabulous Wicked Firefly vid himself on his website, and saying that it was Tim who told him about it.

...I may be wrong, but I get the general feeling that the publicity machines are waking up to the fact that for the most part, fanfic and fanvids only PROMOTE their products - that they act like viral marketing.

I'm pretty sure that the BBC has a make-your-own Doctor Who story section too on their website - not quite fanfic, but something along those lines.

Further thoughts on TrueBlood:

• Bill Compton is a hell of a lot more attractive without the distractingly awful Snape FanArt style book covers.

• Tara continues to remind me of Faith, with added trainwreck and thinner skin. Argh. I'm increasingly inclined to 'ship her with Sam, because he so wants to look after someone, and she so wants to be looked after.

• Sookie doesn't seem to have a single shred of sense.

• Gran is awesome.

• Lafayette is MADE OF FUCKING WIN.

• Jason is actually quite endearing.

• I heart Rene. Also Hoit. For completely different reasons. But they're both adorable.

• Sheriff Bud is fab. I've liked him since the first episode, where he had to give Jason the sorrowful hounddog look of one heterosexual man who had regretfully had to watch another heterosexual man shagging, and is now having to look said man in the face in shared embarassment.

later

Oh, Grandma. Well, 'kay, I knew that was coming. Still - curses.

hopes that the TV version doesn't cleave to the text in all ways wrt characters' fates...

eta

Oh, also? They fucking NAILED Pam, imho. And Eric's good too. Although I can't help squinting to see his (the actor's) dad in his features, which is a bit distracting.

Sookie doesn't seem to have a single shred of sense.

No, see doesn't, really, although I was glad that she managed to mostly rescue herself at the end. And she still has more sense than Jason, who's never found a bad decision he couldn't make.

Lafayette is MADE OF FUCKING WIN.

I'm hoping he really ISN'T gone, because that would suck.