Did you know?

HBO's True Blood series is actually based on Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire Mystery Series?

It is probably common knowledge by now, what with the DVD release today and Season 2 kicking off next month. I don't have HBO but bought the DVD today and plan on watching it all tomorrow since I don't have to work.

I already know, from hearing others talk about what it's like that it is really like the books. Some of the characters are vastly different in the show than they are in the book. I heard someone mention Tara being really "crazy" on the show and in the book, she is nothing like that. She was once into the whole vampire thing, but after a serious incident she steered clear of them and went back to being plain old human Tara, instead of the Tara who hangs out with vampires.

Why is it that Hollywood, to put it in basic terms, always messes with the book when making it into a TV show or movie? I understand editing scenes out for time purposes, although, I can say for myself if the movie would be exactly like the book, keeping in all the important and not-as-important scenes, I would stay in the theater no matter how long the movie is. Everyone knows by now that the Harry Potter movies are nothing like the books, I mean come on where the hell has Dobby been since the second movie? He has a critical role in the last book, a whole chapter is dedicated to him. What is it going to be Neville instead?

But that's Hollywood. I am fully prepared for there to be extreme differences from the actual series, which are wonderful to read by the way. If you loved the show, check the books out, they are fabulous. They even have a pack of the first 7 books in paperback. Charlaine is up to book 9 that released just a few weeks ago. There is to be another set of paperbacks releasing books 1-8 later this year. Or if you really love the show, they are revamping the covers to have pictures from the show on it instead of the cartoon drawings that are currently on the covers.

Speaking of vampires and televison shows along the line of books, since this is a reading blog, there is very vague news that L.J. Smith, another fantastic vampire author, this one for YA, who wrote the Vampire Diaries which had recently been republished with a brand new book starting a new Vampire Diaries series, so to speak, called The Vampire Diaries: The Return: Nightfall. This series is supposed to focus more on the character Damon, apparently. At least that was what I heard. I read the series years ago, back when they were 10 years old and now they're over 20, wow! It's a good series, high school and vampires pre-Twilight. I read this long before I read Twilight, and I liked Twilight.

Anyway back to the news, there is supposedly a possible TV show in the making of this book series. The CW is up for making the pilot to pitch it to the people on top, whatever that means, and if it goes okay, we might have ourselves another vampire television show based on a vampire book series! Yea! I am super excited to hear about this and hope whoever it is that makes the BIG decision gives it the okay. There's a chance it might since Twilight has become so big. Ian Somerhandler is supposed to be playing Damon, the bad guy. I think he's perfect for that role, because he does have a sort of rugged bad boy look. Don't ya think?