Kaderade’s Weblog

It seems as though in the last year Hollywood has gone crazy for vampires. Yes, the blood sucking, no reflection, mind controlling, sleep in a coffin, vampires, They are now all the rage, and not only because they are mysterious and dark, but they are HOT!! Twilight is just about to release and theatre’s are selling out all over the country; HBO has their hit series “True Blood”; and Here! TV has “The Lair”, and we’ll take a look at all the other vampires taking a bite out of Hollywood.

First let’s talk about Twilight! The books have caused a craze all over the world, and now you’ll get to see them come alive on the big screen! The book has already sold 17 million copies worldwide, been translated into 20 different languages, and has made Edward Cullen a household name. This movie is going to be incredibly huge because of the cult following of the book, and advance ticket sales for the movie ae proving this! It has already sold out in over 400 theater’s nationwide for the whole weekend. Some sites are even speculating it may reach The Dark Knight’s numbers. I guess we will all have to wait and see, but what I do know is that I want to see this one. I’ll admit…I find vampires to be hot.

I recently tried to buy my tickets for opening weekend and was told the same thing by nearly every theatre I called…I would have to wait for the following weekend. I guess I underestimated how big this movie was going to be, and living in Salt Lake City this is a rare occurance for something to be THIS big. I can understand this draw because Stephanie Meyer’s books have mormon roots . Stephanie Meyer also wanted to make sure that they stayed within a PG-13 area because she loves playing up the “erotics of abstinence”. That makes it available to watch by almost all age groups.

The great thing about vampires is that they are something that never go out of style! Anne Rice made them a modern day phenomenon with her books, Brad Pitt made them sexy on the screen, and now Stephanie Meyer has made every girl feel like they can find a guy like Edward. He doesn’t care what anyone thinks about him liking Bella, because it is her scent that drives him wild. It isn’t the way she looks, dresses, or does her hair. He accepts her regardless, loves her with all of his heart, and will do anything to protect her.  And it’s not going to end with Twilight, there are already several vampire shows out there right now WORLDWIDE!!!

You may remember, I was able to interview a couple of the hottest guys from “The Lair” on Here! Network. Ethan Reynolds and David Moretti were so great to talk to!! Ethan is what I would envision a vampire today to look like: hot, dark, mysterious, and with fangs! Since I’ve had the opportunity to interview two of the stars from the series, I thought that I would take the time to interview the show myself. “The Lair” definitely caters to their audience and gives them mostly what they want, but I do feel like they could be doing so much more. The plot should go somewhere more than surrounding this club! I would like to see some romance, some more hot guys, and possibly fang action. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with this season because the show still needs more hot guys, emotion, and a stronger plot line. Everyone always seems to be in a panic mode running around this town “wondering” what is going on, but the truth is that everyone has already figured it out. I’m not gonna sugar coat it, the plot has become stale and hard to watch because I’m not sure where they are going with it. Also, for a show about vampires, they only show fangs for what seems a total of two minutes in both seasons combined. Vampires are supposed to be preying on other living things, but it doesn’t seem like a lot of that is going on. Even the show “True Blood” has figured out this important piece of the formula.

In “Interview with a Vampire” they seem to make the ritual of feeding into a very erotic and sensual moment, and it could go on for five minutes and I would still be drawn in. On “The Lair” they hurry and bite their victim and the next time you see them they are either dead, or a vampire. I think they need to play more into the emotions and make the vampires feeding ritual into a more passionate moment. When I watch these scenes lacking sensuality, it just seems like cheap porn. It has to be more than just seeing two guys go at it, it needs to be about the connection between them.

There are some great actors on the show like David Moretti, Peter Stickles, Ethan Reynolds, and Brian Nolan. In my opinion Brian is one of the best actors on the show. His character is, steals the scenes, is interesting to watch, and extremely believable. He delivers his lines as if he truly believes that he were the dead ghost of Jimmy haunting “The Lair”. His character has made me a fan of the show.

What I don’t understand is the other element of this series. Why are they casting porn actors that can’t act, and are not attractive? I have spoken previously on this subject in past blog entries, and do not understand why a producer would ever select a porn actor. Hollywood is full of young attractive guys that have been training to act for a long time. I’m sure that many of them would be willing to have a sex symbol role. If you want a show to be successful then you would think they would want all of those elements. You want your audience, which isn’t just gay men, to fall in love with the characters. They have to be a fantasy and something that they can truly relate to.

In “The Lair” they seem to cast these burly, hairy, bear men to be the “hot” guys in this show. I don’t think that Ethan and Peter should have to carry being the only hot vampires. I asked quite a few people about this subject, and almost all of them gave me their version of what they think a vampire should look like. Most people envisioned them more like an Abercrombie model. They want them dark, handsome, muscular, and young.

Vampires have been the epitome of beauty and youth for decades. Anne Rice made them immortal and eternally youthful. I can say that I’m sorely disappointed in the casting for this show because all we seem to see are “bears” and “leather daddies” that are only appealing to a small group of people. Whomever is doing the casting should probably rethink the way this show is going, because if they don’t have more talent (not porn actors) come in soon, or the show will probably die. You can buy season one HERE!

A trailer that I recently ran across is for a film called “Let the Right One In” and it is eerily creepy and attractive. The film is all subtitles, spoken in Swedish, and may be hard for some to deal with. It is about a 12-year old boy named Oskar and his unusual friendship with the new girl in town named Eli. Oskar is picked on at school and bullied. Eli is different and doesn’t seem to make friends easily. They both realize that they need each other, but aren’t sure of the reasons why. Just from the trailer I can already tell that this is going to be one that shouldn’t be missed! Just watch the trailer and you’ll see what I mean!!! It is already in talks of being remade for American audiences by director Matt Reeves. 

I would love to be a vampire, even just for a day. Have that increased sense of smell, the fangs, and knowing that you’ll live forever just as you are. If the opportunity came to me I would jump on it SO fast. I feel that I could capture the intensity required to play a vampire. They are complex creatures and have seen the world go through every stage possible, and they tend to be very mature even from the time they are turned. 

As you can see vampires have created quite the buzz lately! I can’t wait to see what future holds for our pale skinned friends, but I know that I want to be front row and waiting for the next blood sucking bite. You never know…I may pop up in some vampire fangs of my own!