Of Death & Dying (Corey Haim)... Angels... & Bite Bits!

Of Death and Dying

"Death by Stereo!"

This past Wednesday 10th of March 2010, we vampire fans, and more over Lost Boys lovers were hit with the news of the passing of actor Corey Haim.
Genre bloggers across the bloggersphere expressed sentiment and sorrow at this news. From Marta Acosta on Vampire Wire  to Nicole Hadaway on All things Smart and Scary, who credits the movie's influence on the writing of some of her characters.   
It was a tragic end to one of the better known icons of the 80's.

I'm an almost '80's baby, thus I was only about seven years old when the Lost Boys first came out, and Corey would have been about what, fourteen? I know I must have been still way too young when I finally saw the movie (as I do recall seeing it before I had ever even read Anne Rice or Dracula and I was initiated to those authors between the ages of 11 and 13).
But that's what you get, I guess when you grow up in a cinephile family.

I can't tell you how many times I've watched the Lost Boys. Every time it comes on television I watch it, and mind you, I already own the special edition DVD. I've watched it so many times that I know practically every line of dialogue by heart!

And although Corey was not "my crush" (neither Corey was for that matter... I was always a Jason Patric girl, even though he was waaay older, like 13 yrs older!), I still enjoyed the chemistry between the cast, esp. the two Corey's.

With Corey's passing and given what we have heard about the demons (in the form of drugs) which had possessed him over the years, one can only hope that this former Lost Boy, has now found peace in Angels arms.

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And Angels

And speaking of Angels, just some three months ago I speculated in a blog post that Angels may be the new Vampires, after reading all the hype surrounding Becca Fitzpatrick's Hush, Hush, and seems perhaps I was on the right "wing" of thought.
There has been a heavenly reign of releases recently (and blog posts to match).

- Over at VampChix there's a post on Dark Angels: the Fallen and the Nephilim , as they celebrate(d) Angel Week.

- Fang-tastic Books has an Angelology Excerpt and Giveaway.

- While the VampBoyz featured Paul Bettany in Legion as their Boy of the week!

- A little before that (a few weeks ago) author Nicole Hadaway wrote a review of Anne Rice's Angel Time, which Anne also mentioned about on her FaceBook page.

- And soon (next week), yours truly will have a review of author Skyler White's provocative new novel of fallen angels, now vampires in, and Falling,Fly. As well as an interview with the author.

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Bite Bits

 And speaking of vampires (don't you just love a good segue? :). Aforementioned author Nicole Hadaway is having a Giveaway Contest to win season 1 DVD of Blood Ties. The contest runs 'til next Friday 19th and is open to US & CND residents.

Also, a reminder (for all of us North of the American border) Canada's Space Channel still airs /re-airs episodes of Blood Ties, Fridays at 10am and Saturdays at 11am.
As well they (said Space channel) will be premiering season 1 of True Blood this Sunday 14th March @ 10pm.
I already saw and own the S1 DVD, but I'm such a "sucker" for the show (and vamps in general...but ex-nay on the "ilight Tway") that I'll most be watching it all again.

And info to the end - I just learned from self same Canada's Space Channel, that they will be airing The Lost Boys on Sunday 14th.

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And in memory of dear Corey, here is the music video of G Tom Mac's  Cry Little Sister

2010, the Year of the Vampire(s) once again!?

Well the year has only been 8 days started and already the Vampires have risen from their coffins and sunk their fangs into the fans again.

Starting the year off with a BITE! 

Fans of Kyle Schmid (a.k.a vampire Henry Fitzroy on Blood Ties) helped him take home a win as "Sexiest man in the Vampire realm" and, as is the effect most vampires have, the article author Raelynn Coombs, soon found herself enthralled.

Then it was announced this week that Blood Ties will be re-released in the Spring (April 6th) with the complete series on DVD and Blu-ray.
Read more here.

Then, just 2 days ago, at the People's Choice Awards (which, on that night, could have been renamed to The Vampire Choice Awards), the "undead" lived again, with Twilight Saga: New Moon, True Blood and The Vampire Diaries all taking home awards.


In fact, even several "general" winners and nominees, still in some way, could be linked back to "Vampire".

• Alyson Hannigan who won best Tv Comedy Actress, was former witch Willow, on Buffy The Vampire Slayer.
  
  
• Keifer Sutherland, nominated for 24, was vampire David on The Lost Boys.
  
  
• Katherine Heigl, who won best Tv Drama Actress, has starred in The Ugly Truth, with Gerard Butler, who was of course Dracula in Dracula 2000.
  
  
• Johnny Depp, was chosen Fave Movie Actor of the decade, and he will soon play vampire Barnabas Collins in the 3 film adaptation, based on the original tv series, Dark Shadows.
  
  
• Sandra Bullock, who won for Best Movie Actress, starred in Speed with Keanu Reeves, who starred as Jonathan Harker in Francis Ford Coppola's Bram Stoker's Dracula .
  
  

Soon, it'll no longer be "Six degrees of Kevin Bacon", but rather, "Six degrees of Vampire separation". That  is to say, someone who acted as or has acted with someone, who was, a vampire. Talk about your Blood Ties.

As well, today (Jan 8th, 2010) saw the opening the vampire horror/thriller Daybreakers , starring Ethan Hawke and Willem Dafoe (this will be DaFoe's third time as one of the "living dead", with Shadow of the Vampire   and The Vampire's Assistant, being the others).

And there's much more fanged fare on the fore, as seen on author Catherine Karp's Upcoming Vampire Movies & Series: 2010 Edition 
(Courtesy of http://suburbanvampire.blogspot.com )

In about two weeks are the Golden Globe awards (Sun. Jan 17th), and there's no doubt, that a Vampire related some one/thing (movie, tv, person etc) may win.

Then on Jan. 21st, we have the winter return of The Vampire Diaries.


By mid-June Season 3 of True Blood returns on HBO. (Rumor has it as set for Sunday June 13th).


And by June 30th, Twilight Saga: Eclipse, is set to take (yet another) bite out of the boxoffice.

Hell, even some radio stations are going in for the kill. This sunday, 9am-12pm eastern, Montreal's own CJAD 800 am Trivia Show will run along a vampire theme.

So would this year see "all things vampires" sucking the blood from the competition?
 
Only time will tell! 

In the meantime, here's some fangy Twilight Saga: New Moon parody from this weeks People's Choice Awards. Enjoy! 

Where have I been? / General Announcements / and All I want for Christmas is my “V” TV!

Where have I been? : Lost in “hyper” Space!

So just in case you were wondering (or even if you were not) as to where I  have been for the past several weeks  – having practically abandoned my blog updates of most things “vampiric” – Rest assured, some bloody good things are coming.

Nevertheless, the reason for my M.I.A is simple. I had temporarily become a Twitaholic and to a lesser extent, a FaceBook fiend! LoL!

Yes you read me right.

But it’s all related… to vampires of course!

Over the past couple weeks, after having created both a FaceBook page and a Twitter stream for this here blog. I had decided to explore both social sites further, getting a feel of the online community thereon, and especially those of the two most current newfangled (emphasis on “fang”) hit shows: True Blood and The Vampire Diaries.

At first I’d lurk about (like Edward in Bella’s room at night while she slept), reading the posts and discussions on the official TrueBlood HBO and CW Vampire Diaries FaceBook pages, as well as on their several Twitter counterpart, fan(g) pages: @TrueBloodHBO @TrueBloodNet @TrueBloodDotNet and  @CW_VampDiaries @tvdnews @tvdfansonline

And it wasn’t long before I too found myself joining in on both shows FaceBook discussions and Twitter tweets and re-tweets. As well as participating in the fun (but exhaustive) #FF :  *Follow Fridays and doing *Topic Trending!  (*that’s some Tweet speak for those not in the know).

So if you’re planning a hitchhike across the Twitter-verse to get your fave vampire show info fix, then the @forementioned are good places to start.

And also be sure to check out the “Mother” of all vampires (if you consider Bram Stoker to be the “Father” that is), Mrs. Anne Rice.

Yes, Lestat’s mom Tweets (via simultaneous linking of her FaceBook page and Twitter stream).  
@AnneRiceAuthor is also included among the females on my Authors-of-Genre list. 

So there you have it, I was lost in “hyper” space for the past several weeks… But now I’m back!

Info to the end (of this piece), according to The Global language Monitor: “Vampire” was the fifth word of 2009, while “Twitter” was the Top Word of 2009!

*   *   *

General Announcements:

So in these weeks to come between Christmas and the New Year (and sometime after), I should have a few bite bits (a.k.a Topic Treats) with which to deck the blogs!

a) All I want for Christmas is my “V” TV:  Some recommendations for dealing with the vampire TV show hiatus withdrawals.

b) I see a New Moon Rising: A review of New Moon.

c) The Vampire Diaries –dot, dot, dot – And the devilish, delish Damon Salvatore:  a commentary piece on the hit new show and the talked about vampire du jour!

d) Guest blog post by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro for the release of her new novel Burning Shadows: Saint Germaine Chronicles. (Blog post scheduled for Thursday, December 17^th.)

So stay tuned!

*   *   *

All I want for Christmas is my “V” TV:

To use (and pun upon) that famous phrase from MTV in the 1980’s: “I want my “V” TV!” 

And no, I’m NOT talking about that new series re-make “V” (The Visitors) on ABC . I’m talking “V” as in Vampires!

Vampires have risen once again – but then again for those of us, who are fans of the fanged, vampires never went away –  it’s just that it may seem to some that they are everywhere these days ( yup, they don’t just come out at night anymore) ; and especially more so in the last couple years!

Apart from The Twilight Saga: New Moon, which recently ripped apart the box office on its opening day (kinda like the way those werewolves ripped apart the vampire Laurent), we have also had, earlier this year (back in June) the much anticipated return of True Blood, season 2 on HBO and the debut (this past Fall) of The Vampire Diaries (based on the novels of L.J Smith) on the CW.

It was a bloody good Summer / Fall for all things fang-tastic.

Alas, now December is upon us.

We’ve already seen New Moon, like what, 2 or 3 times!  Both TV shows are on hiatus – The Vampire Diaries is set to return on the CW in January for the 2^nd half of its first season and True Blood is scheduled to return to HBO in June 2010, with Season 3 – and Day Breakers doesn’t hit theatres ‘til early 2010 either.

However, before we lie in the winter of our discontent and start shouting, batty in the belfry: “I’m mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore”, rest assured here are some recommendations of quick nip fixes for dealing with the vampire TV show hiatus withdrawals:

·        Beginning next week on December 14^th,  for five days, the CW will be re-airing the first 10 episodes of  The Vampire Diaries . That's five days, 10 episodes, 1 full week!

·        Starting December 28^th, catch True Blood season 1 on HBO. 3 episodes a night, 4 nights in a row.

·        For fans of Kyle Schmid or for those just curious to know about that vampire show I’m always tweet quoting about (and on which this blog was originally inspired… Henry Fitzroy anyone? ;o) – Blood Ties, season 1 and 2, is now available on DVD.
 

·        You think Eric and Damon are dangerously hot now? Well back then there was The Lost Boys. A classic that never dies and never grows old:  Need I say more?

·        And just for the neck of it: He was a grinch and a scrooge and a pet detective and yes, a vampire too (well almost), Jim Carrey in Once Bitten.

So what are some of your vampire TV show hiatus withdrawal recommendations?

I “invite” you to come inside, to leave your comments below:

My top 10 picks for fave Vampire : 6 and 5

So yesterday I gave you 8 and 7.
Here's todays installment:


# 5) Gerard Butler as Dracula (in Dracula 2000)

 # 6) Keifer Sutherland as David (in the Lost Boys)

(Part 1) I like Vampires...

… but I wouldn’t want to be one!

So, as we may ALL be aware by now, Vampires are the rage these days – well, at least for those new to the genre – since its reawakening with (yes, I’m about to say it) Twilight.

But for those of us who aren't newbies. Who knew about vampires ever since reading the writings of Bram Stoker’s Dracula (age 9), Anne Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles (age 13) and seeing Buffy, The Vampire Slayer (age 17) for 8 seasons on TV - (and devouring more or less every other, even remotely vampire related material there was: Vampirella comics, Dark Shadows TV re-runs, and movies such as Once Bitten with Jim Carrey, Vampire’s Kiss with Nicolas Cage and I certainly cannot forget The Lost Boys) - Vampires are nothing new.
In fact, one good thing that the popularity of Twilight brought (back) to the genre, was rousing vamps out of the coffin and bringing them to the mainstream again, more “general public” approachable, if you will.

Hence, now, we not only have the Twilight four volume franchise being brought to film over the next few years, but there’s also: True Blood (based on Charlaine Harris’ Southern Vampire series) currently going for the jugular on HBO; The Vampire Dairies (based on the books of L. J. Smith ) set to take a bite out of The CW network in the Fall; and even rumours of (another) Buffy, the Vampire Slayer movie, as well as a potential Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter film (based on the Anita Blake series by Laurell K. Hamilton) and a Dark Shadows remake, potentially starring Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins. Of course, we must not forget the vampire Tv shows of the recent past, which were staked before their time, namely Blood Ties (based on the Blood Books by Canadian author Tanya Huff) and Moon Light.

So why then you may wonder, since being such a fan of the genre, I would make the above statement: “I like Vampires, but I wouldn’t want to be one”?

Well firstly I should mention how this sentiment came about.

(Warning True Blood spoiler alert in 3…

2…

1)

So there I was watching the second episode of this season 2 of True Blood on HBO – Lafayette, who is being kept prisoner in the basement of Fangtasia by Eric et al, tries to escape and is shot by a nervous and trigger happy bar-maid (Ginger is it?). Later on that night the vamps are awake and they’re considering what to do with him. He pleads to be let go, he doesn’t want to be put back into the basement and he doesn’t want to be killed. So what does he prose to Eric and his posse? “Make me a vampire!”

I sat there and my reaction was like: “O-kayyyy!” Simply incredulous!
Why?

Because for one, I could not imagine Lafayette as a vampire, mainly as I think he is such a vital part of the show “as human” and I cannot visualize how his character would evolve as just another vampire.

And two, immediately as he made the suggestion: “Make me a vampire!”

I thought to myself, if I were in his shoes, could I see myself requesting that?

And my resounding feeling was NO!

No matter how much I like vampires, and were they indeed real, I can’t see myself wanting to be one.

And here are a few of my reasons why.

Well for starters, I can’t imagine having to live off human blood and the thought of having to bite into flesh to get at said blood (even with fangs) is not very appealing.

Furthermore, to have to give up the sun (according to traditional vampire lore and not of these Twilight times) and hence my especially favoured season, summer (albeit I love Winter as well), I don’t think so – I feel there’s more than mere coincidence that my name (of Hindu origins, though I’m not) translates to mean “golden a/o daughter of the sun”. I love being in the Sun.

But then I got to thinking again: is it that I feel this way (liking vamps, but not wanting to be one) because I’m female?

...(continues in part 2)

(Part 2) I like Vampires...

… but I wouldn’t want to be one!

... (continued from part 1)

Is it that I feel this way (liking vamps, but not wanting to be one) because I’m female?

And I deduced the answer to that, (as it pertains to me anyway), is indeed a resounding YES!

Why?

‘Cause when I think: Vampire, being a heterosexual female, I think: Male, when I think male, I think: Seduction and who isn’t a sucker (no pun intended) for seduction when it comes to vamps? And as we know, it’s all about the seduction, n’est pas?

Case in point, my mind automatically goes (to name a few): to Lestat and Dracula (Gerard Butler’s version anyway in Dracula 2000) and Bill Compton (True Blood) and Angel and Spike (from Buffy) and Henry ( as portrayed by Kyle Schmid in Blood Ties) and David (The Lost Boys) and D (Vampire Hunter D) and yes, even to the fangless Edward Cullen (but only to an extent).

Bear in mind dear reader, that several of these examples are the quote/unquote “romanticized” version of the traditional vampires of yore.

But nonetheless, there is something to be said for the power exuded by these seductively fascinating creatures.

Vampires are the ultimate predator.

And considering that most vampires are usually depicted as having been human before their transformation, and some (though not all) ultimately retain their souls (Blood Ties, vampire Henry Fitzroy is an example of such) – then the danger associated with them adds to the seductive quality. It translates basically to the fact that, if he so chooses, a vampire could as easily kill you, as much as just take some of your blood.

Unlike other creatures, who most times, would undergo some intense physical transformation – for example, the man turning into beast, that the quintessential Werewolf (often times depicted as the arch enemy of the vampire) – most vampires’ physical transformations are usually more subtle (the vampires of Buffy and The Lost Boys are among the few exceptions).

Glowing eyes, fangs, pale (sometimes cold) skin - despite these differences, at any given time, a vampire could continue to pass unnoticed among humans, and there in lies an added danger, which again, adds to the seduction.

To quote film critic Maitland McDonagh (on a recent Space: the Imagination Station special – Pretty Bloody: The women of Horror, © 2009): “Vampires have always been the mainstay of women in horror… explicitly tied with ideas of seduction and of giving into impulses that are perhaps socially unacceptable… Vampires are very sexualized. …not the brutal sexuality of say Werewolves, who are the embodiment of the beast within…. Vampires are seducers....”

Furthermore, there is no escaping the implied (or explicit) sexual connotations associated with most vampires, especially those of the fanged variety (here Edward Cullen and the other Twilight vamps do not apply).

Vampires’ fangs: the long, pointed, sharp teeth of its mouth (usually incisor, some times canines, other times both), are meant to penetrate. To penetrate the (preferably human) flesh from which it must get blood to the sustain itself. And the parts of the body usually preferred by vamps, where the veins run deep and strong, are also some of the parts of the body where one would find (some of the most sensitive) erogenous zones: the neck, wrist, inner thigh and to a lesser extent breasts.

Thus when it comes to the vampire and the act of taking blood (fangs penetrating the barrier of the flesh), there can be no denying the parallels to the physical act of sex.

And this is especially brought to more evidence, if the vampire takes blood whilst engaging in said act. (There are however some exceptions, i.e. vamps which are physically sexually impotent. For example: Anne Rice’s vampires have no use of their sexual organs after being turned. Nevertheless, the fang penetration connotation still applies.)

Then there is the being desired.

There is definitely something to be said for being the object of want and desire to a vampire. True is may be for the blood that lies beneath (the body). But to know that in essence the vampire literally can’t live without “You”. Well!

As a warm and red blooded woman, I find that thought rather appealing, in spite of the apparent danger. And again the sense of danger adds fuel to the seductive fire that is the modern image of the vampire.

To conclude, as much as I wouldn’t want to be a vampire, the thought of being on the receiving end of a vampire’s attention can have its appeal.

Of course, the idea behind this sentiment is in the context of the romanticized fantasy perpetuated by many (mostly female) authors of the genre. And is reiterated in most of the vampire based films and Tv shows we see today.

In fact, even yours truly has penned a poem or two with emphasis on the sensual/seductive/dangerous/erotic appeal of the vampire. As in My Life, My Love, My Blood , (recently featured on Roxanne Rhoads’ Fang-tastic books blog).

But what say you dear reader: What is it about the vampire (or the genre that appeals to you)? And in the context of the statement, would you like being the vampire or its vassal?

I invite you to leave your comments below.

Damn Sexy vamp videos

And just to throw a little music video vamp action into the mix, here's for all you Dracula 2000 and Lost Boys - Damn sexy vamps - fans.

Dracula 2000: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CM9H1q-J6A

Lost Boys: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o375ke8Csio&feature=related

Enjoy!!