Vampire Diaries 24/7

"Katherine...Baked. A bloody RED velvet cake ;)"

"I found Santa!!!!!"

"Frozen self portrait..."

"Caroline and Tyler hard at work on iPad games. Late night TVD set"

"Brrrrrr @CallMePancakes and I shooting in the wilderness... ITS COLD"

"Santa's little helper..Wrapping gifts!"

Overall, what can we expect when the show returns?
We’re going to come to the end of what we’re calling our werewolf chapter, which will really take that story to a really dark place and really change a lot of characters lives, not necessarily in a good way.

We are going to dig deeper into the secrets of our new witches and what Bonnie's role is going to be in their story, and of course it's all about the fear of the impending Klaus, and who’s going to be fighting on who’s side, who’s bond is with who, who’s going to betray whom, and is this curse going to be lifted at the hands of a sacrifice that would kill Elena. We’re full steam ahead.

Do you ever fear the show will run out of storylines?
We never worry that we’re going to run out of steam because we know we have a lot of story to tell and that story can go on and on. What’s complicated is every episode is brand new. Rather than working on a CSI or even X-Files, where each week you have this formula to build off of, it’s like we’re starting a new movie from scratch each week. It’s trying to do that at a level of consistency of quality week after week, it’s just a really daunting task.

More than anything it’s not do we have enough story, it's how can we tell the best story possible every week in the time that we have. All of us are control freaks and perfectionists, so we kill ourselves trying to do it and I’m proud of it. Either the show will get cancelled in five years or we’ll die before one of the two things happen (laughs). We’re always going to try to make it as great as it can be.

How many more werewolves are coming to Mystic Falls?
That I can’t say, but I will say Tyler isn’t the only one, as we’ve just met Jules. Jules was talking to someone on the phone during the previous episode, and it's quite possible that that somebody might be showing up to town pretty soon.

Will we ever see Nina Dobrev take on more than two characters/episode?
That would be so cool and so hard to do. If we were ever going to do that to that poor thing, it would have to be the storyline of the century. Who knows!

Is there a clause in Ian Somerhalder's contract about appearing shirtless a certain number of times per month?
(Laughs.) No. It’s funny, we had a little bit of a drought of our shirtless boys this season, because we only put them shirtless when it feels right for the story. But I looked at Kevin and I was like, “everybody’s had too many clothes on for the last 6 or 7 episodes. This is wrong. So we’ll be seeing more bare-chested boys as we go into the New Year. All totally organic to the story, as always, of course (laughs).

Do you have any idea who will play Klaus?
None whatsoever. We started the casting process, we’re early in it. We have high standards, and high hopes. It's going to be very tough to not only hold their own against Ian and Paul, but also Daniel Gillies [Elijah], who a pretty tremendous actor. We’re taking the casting very seriously and it’ll be interesting to see how it turns out.

SOURCE

When will we get more backstory on The Vampire Diaries? — Maxine
NATALIE: An upcoming flashback to 1864 will give Elena a new perspective on her sibling suitors. Before then, though, expect a visit or two from the Grim Reaper. "A lot of people are dying," Katerina Graham tells us. "Not, like, too many, where it's like, 'Why are all these people dying?' But a couple of important characters are going to go."

"There’s no way, dude. I don’t even have time to breathe with my current schedule. How am I supposed to make up a fucking story about a Deerhunter song that I’ve listened to 10 times since it came out 30 days ago?” That’s Ian Somerhalder, the 32-year-old star of the CW’s hit soap, The Vampire Diaries, which he insists he “eats, works, breathes, sleeps, and shits.” Still, Somerhalder found time to jot down a list of eight songs, which he created to help Damon, the character he plays, seduce—from flirtation to climax—his eternal-but-unrequited love, Katherine (Nina Dobrev). “If I were taming that lioness, then this is exactly what each song would be.” Below, Somerhalder breaks down his choices in the frenzied manner of someone who is about to be called back to set—which he was.

The Black Keys’ “Next Girl.” This track is about breaking up with a fucking bitch, and it’s something you always tell yourself: My next girl will be nothing like my ex-girl. But that never works, even if she’s the complete opposite of your ex-girlfriend. They’re all going to slay you the same way, because they can.

Deerhunter’s “Desire Lines.” Remember when Pearl Jam came out with Ten, which had that song “Black” on it? That was the song that guys played when we screwed girls in high school. “I know someday you’ll have a beautiful life, I know you’ll be a star/ In somebody else’s sky, but why, why, why.” Like that one, this is a jam you can listen to in the morning without slitting your wrists, but it definitely says some heavy shit.



Bright Eyes’ “Lover I Don’t Have to Love.” Conor Oberst is a very good friend of mine and has been for years. It takes a lot of balls to say, “I want a lover I don’t have to love/ I want a girl who’s too sad to give a fuck.” He’s telling us that we thrive, for some reason, on hurt and pain. When we’re bee-buzzing happy, we don’t create the most amazing art. I’m sure Monet was in pain when he painted his water lilies. I don’t know if he was heartbroken or constipated, but I guarantee you he wasn’t happy.

Neon Indian’s “6669 (I Don’t Know If You Know).” This song is like jam on warm bread. You can imagine yourself in bed, surrounded by candles, with “6669” blaring out of two giant Paradigms, which is something I’ve done many times.

Gayngs’ “The Gaudy Side of Town.” I don’t know how the fuck I found this one. “Put some fear in the company now/ Don’t lose your cold dear/ Fear in the company now/ Keep it right.” That perfectly encapsulates what it feels like when you look at a woman you love after having sex with her, or a woman who scares you—it’s pretty much all the same.

The Verve’s “History.” At the end of the song, Richard Ashcroft sings, “The bed ain’t made but it’s filled full of hope/ I’ve got a skin full of dope.” It’s about two old lovers coming back together. Apparently, when the band heard this song fully mixed for the first time, they threw a chair out of the window and it hit a car in the street. It’s that intense, and when you hear it, you’ll understand.

Belle & Sebastian’s “I Want the World to Stop.” Remember Modern English’s “I Melt with You”? I used to listen to that one with my brother on the way to our preppy Catholic school. This song is kind of like that. It sounds happy, but then Stuart Murdoch starts singing about “winter disorder,” which sounds dismal. To escape that, there’s nothing better than warm sheets and a beautiful woman on your naked body.

Cursive’s “The Recluse.” Tim Kasher sings, “I wake alone/ In a woman’s room I hardly know/ I wake alone/ And pretend that I am finally home.” It’s a lonely song, because for the rest of it, he’s in some girl’s room, waiting for her to come home, wondering what her notebooks say. He’s had sex all night, and then suddenly he’s a recluse, alone and in his head. Or he could be talking about a woman he’s been with for years, but whom he hardly knows, because how do you really know anybody?

SOURCE

@Elliemacb (via Twitter): Any news on Vampire Diaries' Klaus? Have they cast him yet? Any other scoops on TVD?
No Klaus yet. I hear casting him is a tall task because the dude has to be intimidating enough to make even Damon "shake in his boots," per Ian Somerhalder. "[Klaus] is the most powerful," Ian tells me. "He's the guy you don't want to be in a room with. Ever…In order to kill these guys [the originals], there's such a process."

Indigo: I am really loving Bonnie and Jeremy on The Vampire Diaries. But do they stand a chance at real coupledom?
That is one question we will tackle tomorrow during a shopping trip with Bonnie herself, Katerina Graham. (A girl's gotta get her scoop in while Xmas shopping, right? What's that thing about the birds and the stone?) Any more questions you have for Katerina? Send 'em to tvdiva@eonline.com or tweet me @KristinDSantos.

Where did Damon's creepy black crow go?
The pilot of the series was mostly faithful to the first book. One of the big changes, however, was having Damon (Ian Somerhalder) exercise mind control over a scary crow rather than morph into it. But we haven't seen his pet in a while. Where has his feathered friend gone? Plec says the set-up gave Damon too much power too quickly. "We thought that if we're starting there, and they can do all this now, where the hell are we going to go?" she says. Also, "it felt a little comic booky and while people really enjoyed it, the same amount of people thought it was cheesy."

Why did Elena and Stefan ditch their journals?
Early on in Season 1, the show featured a lot of Elena (Nina Dobrev) and Stefan (Paul Wesley) writing in their journals. Then, suddenly, they both stopped! Plec says that's because once the two found each other, they wouldn't need to their journals to turn to. "The power of a journal is when you're lost and alone and feel like you have no one to talk to," she says. "What we have fun with is how to integrate the concept of journals -- from Alaric typing in his computer or the old John Gilbert journals that set off the mythology of the vampire device. And we still haven't laid our hands on a Lockwood journal." Plec isn't ruling out a return to written thoughts either. "There might come a time when Elena has no one to talk to and needs to go back to that journal, but right now she's got lots of people to confide in," she says.

Will Damon and Bonnie grow closer?
Vampires and witches are notoriously enemies, but in Season 2, Bonnie (Katerina Graham) and Damon eventually teamed up to fight the bigger fight. The question is whether or not they will take it a step further and develop the close bond they do in the novels. Plec understands that theirs is a relationship important to book fans, but says, for now, they'll just remain frenemies. "The fun we have with them right now is [going] from two people who have absolutely no respect, admiration or love for each other, whatsoever, but because they share a common goal and share common loves, they come together and are willing to put their differences aside and work together."

How about something new? What about giving Matt and Elena a flashback?
When Stefan entered Elena's world, she and Matt (Zach Roerig) had already broken up. Wouldn't it be interesting to see what they were like as a couple, before the Gilbert parents died and before Stefan's return to Mystic Falls? Plec says she wouldn't mind a gander, but wouldn't go back in time unless it served a significant purpose. "Emotionally, it would be amazing to show that, we just have to find the time when we also can learn something new [about them]... otherwise, it's just a little trip down memory lane. If we can find the thing that changes everything as a result of that journey then I would love to see Elena and Matt coming out of football and cheerleading practice, headed to the grill. I just think it would be adorable."

Source: TV Guide

Check out Ian's new interview with TV Guide.

BTS with Paul Wesley, Sara Canning, Katerina Graham, Steven R. McQueen, and Ian Somerhalder.
 

Any chance Isobel (Mia Kirshner) will return on Vampire Diaries? — Heather
NATALIE: Yes! Elena's malevolent-hot birth mother will be back to share her wealth of vampire knowledge. Maybe. "Isobel has a lot of information and will continue to be useful for that information," executive producer Julie Plec tells us. "Where she is right now, what she's doing and whose side she's on — those questions start to get asked very soon." (She's also not the only birth parent returning to town.)

The Vampire Diaries 2 - Let's GO! - Return 2011 Promo

Fans of The CW’s “The Vampire Diaries” are rabid – so to speak – about their love for the show and the fact that its current second season has been an even more entertaining and well-crafted roller coaster than last year. One story that has been gaining speed this season is the impending transformation of Tyler (played by Michael Trevino) from human to werewolf, an event that finally came to a head in last night’s episode. As the show widens its scope to include the world of werewolves, fans can surely expect more drama, some great storytelling and, more than likely, a lot of blood.

Now that viewers have a little break before new episodes start airing next month, our Jim Halterman spent some time talking with Executive Producer Julie Plec and two of the actors who have seen their characters go through the biggest transformations this season – Trevino and Candice Accola, whose Caroline was turned into a vampire early in the season – to see how they’ve gotten to this point in the season and, more importantly, what’s going to happen next and how much would they actually share.

Jim Halterman: Julie, with the changes for Caroline and Tyler, the addition of the evil Katherine and other new characters, can you talk about making those changes and not shaking things up too much?

Julie Plec: Instinctively, we really believed that turning Caroline into a vampire was a good move and it could have been a good move that people didn’t like but as storytellers we just knew that it was a great move for her character. Tyler, we always knew this was his journey. It just took us a season before we could get it started. Michael is wonderful. He’s smart, he’s committed, he’s passionate about this role and the work he has to do to really deliver and it’s really been a pleasure to give him storylines this year where he can show off his skills.

JH: Candice and Michael, how much of a hand have you had in helping shape your character’s respective journeys this season?

Michael Trevino: Julie and Kevin are so talented and they know me. They know what I’m capable of and what I can bring to Tyler so creatively they know what kind of words to put in Tyler’s mouth and as far as talking to them, they know where to push my buttons and push the envelope and it’s been great in each episode.

Candice Accola: The scripts that have been coming in… when you’re half way through the second season and we’re still getting scripts and going ‘Oh my Gosh!’ You’re so shocked at what’s happening and even crew members are saying ‘Last night’s episode was great!’ They’re watching it even after they’ve seen it in shooting twelve-hour days. It’s exciting to be a part of something like that. When it comes to Caroline, the writers are very specific in those breakdowns within a script. I’m excited with all the opportunities that they’ve been presenting to Caroline this year.

JH: Michael, you told me at Comic-Con that you were ready for more so how has it felt playing those deeper layers this season?

MT: It’s been amazing, Jim. I’ve been so glad that we’re able to show different sides of Tyler. Back in season one, he was really just one note just being mad all the time and getting into these fights and he was – using a word the writers like to use on this show – a real dick. Now we’re able to show different sides of what’s going on with his family, and what happened when Mason came to town and now we have this new character we’ll see named Jules and she comes to town and she has more information about what’s going on. It’s really nice to see Tyler’s vulnerable side. Obviously, our producers had a plan so now to show his soft side and making close relationships with other characters in Mystic Falls, it’s been a blast. And hopefully it will just get better as we get ready for the rest of season two.

JH: Speaking of getting closer, there are several impending couples. Bonnie and Jeremy are getting closer. Tyler and Caroline are getting closer. What are we going to see moving forward?

JP: Nothing but obstacles! Obstacles and then working around the obstacles. If it were easy, it wouldn’t be a relationship drama. Happiness is difficult to tell for numerous episodes.

CA: It’s always a possibility for characters to find a new interest in each other that can turn into a romantic one. What’s been so wonderful about Caroline’s character development throughout the season is that during the first season any time she talked to a member of the opposite sex it would be ‘You’re cute and I want attention.’ With the second season the stakes are higher and her perspective on life is much different so she can just be friends with someone of the opposite sex. It’s not like she started hanging out with Tyler because she thought it was cute. The friendship is the most important thing on her radar now. Where that friendship goes? It could go anywhere so stay tuned for that one.

MT: I can tell you that they’re there for each other. What they have in common is the supernatural element within their characters. Obviously, that causes a little triangle with our buddy Matt Donovan (Zach Roerig) so you’ll see that dynamic between the three of them. But it’s nice and what’s going to happen with Caroline and Tyler… one’s a vampire, one’s a werewolf. I don’t know how that works in terms of a relationship, do you? It will be interesting.

JH: How much of the show’s success do you attribute to social media?

JP: Someone should do a study on that so I can speak with more authority. I think emotionally I attribute a lot of the success to that because that’s where we get our feedback and that’s where the community has the opportunity to communicate with each other and good or bad they have a dialogue that keeps people talking about the show. Social media is the new water cooler and on a grand, grand scale everybody aspires to have the water cooler show so when you have the Twitter-cooler show, you feel pretty good about yourself.

CA: It’s so wonderful that everyone has been so excited about the show and it has a huge following that is very apparent when you’re online. I know the boys get the attention more and more because they look pretty spot-on to how they look on screen but everyone has been very respectful. Everyone has been very complimentary of the show and what’s funny is I still get a kick out of the fact that most of the people that I’m approached by are adults. My favorite are the men saying ‘My wife loves your show!’ and I say ‘Then how do you recognize me? You must watch it, too!’

JH: Let’s talk about some of the other characters. Elena (Nina Dobrev) is definitely not the damsel in distress anymore. Was that a conscious effort that you wanted to see this year?

JP: Absolutely. We always want our female characters to have a point of view and be strong but by definition putting the ingenue in jeopardy is a part of the show so how you sort of make her really strong-willed and fierce and stand up for herself… we saw that a lot last season but this season she’s not necessarily letting other people make decisions for her anymore and it’s part of her growth and the way she is taking back her life, which has spun out of control. It’s nice to see Elena take a stand.

JH: Last season, Damon really seemed to be more bad than good and now it seems to be the other way around with him being more good than bad. Can you talk about that shift?

JP: At the core of Damon’s character is a man who is struggling with both the dark and light inside of him. He put on a good show last year and really embraced all the darkness and evil that exists within him. This year we’re exploring the light part of him, the innocent boy who loved so desperately when he was human. We’re letting that persona find its way for awhile. The battle between those two [sides] is really the issue for that character.

JH: You said you had to wait to tell the werewolf story with Tyler until this season. Are there other things that you and the writers are just dying to tell but can’t squeeze it in at this point in the series?

JP: There are many things that we’re dying to do that we’re not doing yet. As far as when they’re coming, I don’t know. There’s so much to play out with relationships. At one point, I look forward to being able to tell the story of someone who makes the choice not to feed on a human after they’ve been turned and let themselves die instead of becoming a vampire. That can be a heartbreaking story to tell one of these days but no plans just yet to do any of those things.

Source: thefutoncritic

The Descent airs on January! (Third week)

The next episode of The Vampire Diaries will air 2011 Jan.

This Thursday's (Dec. 9) episode of "The Vampire Diaries" is one of the most highly buzzed-about episodes in the course of the series.

In "By the Light of the Moon," Tyler Lockwood, Mystic Falls' resident bully with a heart of gold, transforms into a werewolf in an excruciating scene that took two days to shoot.

If you're anything like us, you're anticipating Mystic Falls' next full moon with an unsettling blend of excitement and dread. We couldn't wait to find out what happens, so Zap2it hit the show's Atlanta set this week -- with our shaky flip video camera in tow -- to get the scoop from the cast.

There is one thing that everyone from Michael Trevino's co-stars to showrunners Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec agreed on unanimously: this is Trevino's episode to shine, and it's a story that's been well-earned.

"Though the promos have focused heavily on the 'triangle' drama, honestly the episode really belongs to Michael Trevino, Tyler, as we watch him go through the most harrowing experience of his life," Plec says, referring to the CW's episode trailer, which may not do the actual plot of the episode much justice.

I chatted with Trevino about his character's journey from the resident one-dimensional bully to the emotionally layered Tyler we'll see on screen this week.

"Last year, Tyler would show up, get into a fight, and then leave for a few episodes," Trevino says. While we're sure those choreographed brawl scenes had their merits, this season, he gets to stretch the limits of his talent and training as an actor.

In fact, the transformation was Trevino's most challenging experience as an actor. "By far," he says. "In all the TV stuff that I've done, guest stars and recurring, the two days of shooting the transformation scene by far was the hardest, most challenging I've ever done."

Luckily, Trevino didn't have to go it alone. Marcos Siega, former supervising producer, returned to "The Vampire Diaries" while they filmed this important hour. Trevino found comfort in Siega's presence.

"It's not only a difficult scene because you're not in your comfort zone, you know?" he says. "Your shirt's off, and this and that. There's all these different elements, so just to have that relationship where you totally 100% trust that person, that was Marcos."

He was also joined on set by co-star Candice Accola.

"It was a very beautiful, painfully beautiful day at work," she says. "You'd walk on set and the tone was set. Everyone was there to work. It was very serious. Everything that he was doing was so beautiful, creatively, that it was a very intense two days. They put him through the ringer. He went for it, he went there, and I think it's going to make for a great, shining moment for Trevino. I think it's a great episode for him."

Tyler will never be the same after this transformation, and not just because once a month he'll wolf out. The changes he goes through will alter his relationships with his friends and make him question his place in Mystic Falls as the two monster species collide.

Ian Somerhalder says that the heart of Tyler's story is whether or not he can step up, accept his fate, and do what it takes to protect his home and his family. "Or what's left of his family, the poor guy," Somerhalder adds. "We killed his dad, we killed his uncle. I think we need to figure out, first of all, what Tyler wants. My guess, hopefully, is that he realizes that this is his home. This is where it all started and where it should end."

SOURCE

So, what can he tease about Damon’s mindset after Thursday’s episode? ”Basically, Damon, as much as he fights it, is starting to feel. And that angers him. It scares him. It’s just different for him, and he doesn’t quite know how to deal with it,” he says. “I was talking to my father, and his dog, our family dog, is a rural country dog. She’s never been on a leash, this animal. We’re taking her this winter to our house in the mountains where we’re gonna spend Christmas. We’re gonna bring her. We want our dog with us. My dad is gonna drive across country, and he said [Laughs] he tried to teach her how to walk on a leash, and she flipped out. The dog’s 10 years old. It’s so difficult teaching an old dog new tricks, and Damon is unbelievably uncomfortable on that metaphorical leash of humanity. It’s been so long since he felt like this that it’s freaking him out. Another element shows up to Mystic Falls that again compromises and endangers what he started to love, and so the stakes get raised again. At the end of this episode, it’s pretty heavy for him.”

What can he tell us about the Salvatore Brothers’ relationship in this episode? ”Stefan is locked in that cave. In all actuality, it’s kind of what Damon’s been dreaming about. But truthfully, Damon wants to get his brother out of there. He’s gonna try really hard, once he works out what he needs to work out. As much as he wants to kill his brother sometimes, he loves him. Damon can’t imagine being stuck in that cave with Katherine. That would just suck. There’s such a commonality of pain between these two guys. They’re in love with the same two women. Two of them — it’s absurd. [Laughs] And the protagonists that have come to town, they mean business. They’re gonna wreak some havoc, and they’re gonna cause some problems for us, that’s for sure.”

Source: Entertainment Weekly

Twitter was abuzz this morning with birthday wishes for the one and only "Vampire Diaries" star Ian Somerhalder (who just turned 32!), with fans sending so much love that "Birthday Ian" actually remained a trending topic throughout most of the morning.

We jumped on the phone with the birthday boy while he was on his way to the "TVD" set to film a bathtub scene (um, yeah, more on that later), and asked what he really wants for his birthday. The answer might surprise you.

You see, unlike most, Ian's wish list doesn't involve the latest tech toy or "Vampire Diaries" season one DVD (that sounds more like our list...). Instead, all he's asking for is a donation to the Ian Somerhalder Foundation.

"Material-wise, I don't need anything, except my health, my family and this foundation to start giving. Literally, that's the only thing," Ian told Hollywood Crush, adding that he's been interested in philanthropic efforts since he was a kid.

Ian's foundation focuses on habitat (including bio-diversity, research on oral sterilization of animals and animal rescue), clean energy and education.

"It's really simple, and it's really exciting because it's just getting people engaged and re-engaged in their community." He also said that helping young people understand the current stakes is a big part of the foundation's goals.

"There's a huge educational component. Most of the foundation is what that's about, empowering youth to understand that you know, half of the species are going to be extinct in 50 years and they can change that."

Ian hopes that donations will further the foundation's goals.

"I'm just asking people to help me with this because I know it's a tough time right now, but the reality of it is that I'm putting all my eggs in this basket because what this foundation is going to do is literally make things better, and that's all that matters to me right now."

In fact, Ian said the best moment of the past year for him was when he signed and sent all the paperwork to get his foundation off the ground.

"It was the coolest thing because it's something I've always wanted to do, and I could never do it. I never had the resources, I never had the ability. And that is now. It just doesn't get any better."

As for celebrations on the set of "Vampire Diaries," where he was headed during our call...well, let's just say he wasn't sure about cake-cutting, especially since he had other things on his mind.

"I know I'm going to be naked in the shower. I'm naked in the shower in about an hour, and Damon's taking a bubble bath with candlelight and a glass of wine at the end of the episode."

We'll give you a second to let that sink in.

Ian wouldn't say whether he was alone or had a bathtime buddy, but he did give us some delicious "Vampire Diaries" scoop on tomorrow's episode, Damon's relationship with Elena and the werewolves coming to town. Stay tuned to Hollywood Crush for those tidbits!

SOURCE

If you're anything like me, you're anticipating Mystic Falls' next full moon with an unsettling blend of excitement and dread. I couldn't wait to find out what happens, so I hit the show's Atlanta set this week - with my shaky flip video camera in tow - to get the scoop from the cast.

Ian opens up about bromance and being jealous of Alaric's new love, his own show romances and the power of his lovely co-star Nina Dobrev. He also dishes about Damon taking advantage of alone time with Elena while Stephen is stuck in the cave with Katherine. And if you saw this week's preview, you know there was plenty of seducing and smooching in the cave -- was it clever editing, or will things really get that steamy?

@mcmegan (via Twitter): Any Christmas miracles on The Vampire Diaries? Like Stefan getting out of cave and not sleeping with Katherine? You've seen the previews, right?
Let's just say I had a nice, lengthy discussion with Ian Somerhalder today about "cave sex," and it certainly sounds like it's not just "cave first-basery" or "cave hold-handery." Sorry, Stelena fans!

@NAVILEGEND You meet with the gorgeous Ian Smolderhotter today....pretty please TVD scoop.
You mean my baby daddy Ian Smolderhotter? Please use his full title now that he's outed the "truth!" I'm running the interview tomorrow or Wednesday, as that's the day he launches his new foundation. So stand by for one of my favorite interviews evah!

# Compares Lost fanbase to Vampire Diaries fanbase (TVD fans are louder)
# Admits to only watching the Lost finale a week ago
# Talks about the pizzaria he owns in Idaho
# Cooks and brings two pizzas for Jimmy (yes, he cooks)
# Accidentally says his address on live TV lol (it's bleeped out though)

Paul talked to Jim Halterman about the importance of helping gay teens know that there is help for them out there.

True Blood’s Dawn Olivieri , we met her briefly as Alcide’s sister Janice Herveaux, has found a new home in another hot vampire show, The Vampire Diaries. Dawn is in Atlanta right now to shoot her first episode.
Dawn is playing a local newscaster for Mystic Falls named Andie Star.
“It looks like I will be spicing things up shall we say”, she tells The Vault. Andie is recurring in an undisclosed succession of episodes at this point in time.

Source: EOnline

Jim Halterman: In last night’s episode you had a reference to Twilight’s Kristen Stewart. But do you worry that putting a reference like that in the show would take fans out of the show? Or can they handle it?
Julie Plec: Look, Kevin made his mark and made his entire career by being self-referential between Scream and Dawson’s Creek and while Vampire Diaries isn’t that show it’s still fun to be able to dabble into it for kicks every now and then by mentioning Twilight. We don’t do it very often but when we do we get a little chuckle out of it.

JH: Everybody has been buzzing about casting for still-unseen-but-much-talked-about Klaus. Anything to share?
JP: Nothing to share but it’s been fun reading everyone’s casting suggestions. I think Kevin and I would feel very excited if we could discover a fresh, new face but we haven’t even started yet so it will be interesting to see how that plays out.

JH: Do we know when Klaus will finally appear on the show?
JP: No, no. The mystery of when we are going to meet him for the first time will be on-going. I think on the casting side it said a specific episode but that was just procedural. That has nothing to do with reality.

JH: So, let’s talk about next week’s episode.
JP: Tell me what you’d like to know about next week?

JH: Stefan is in the cave with Katherine. Where is that going?
JP: The two of them together have never been a good thing since Katherine came to town and it’s certainly not going to be a good thing now.

JH: I couldn’t remember – is there are barrier or something on the cave so Stefan can’t just come back out? Remind me how that works.
JP: There’s a witch spell that seals vampires in using sort of the same magic that would keep a vampire from being able to enter a house. Once in, they are stuck there until the spell is removed.

JH: Is Tyler finally going to go through ‘the change’ next week?
JP: Tyler is going through his life change, yes. That is really the point of next week’s episode – to finally put him in that situation. It’s a full moon, we’ve been building to it, he’s been terrified of it [and] last night’s episode really showed what he’s in store for and just how awful it is in fact going to be. It’s a boy-becomes-a-man story for him and it’s not fun and it’s painful and he’s really going to go through hell.

JH: And we all have reference points to having seen werewolves transform in movies and other TV shows so it was scary to see Taylor Kinney back going through that in the video Tyler and Caroline watch.
JP: Yes!

JH: So, key question, will Tyler’s shirt be off as he’s transforming?
JP: [laughs] I can promise that it will be.

JH: He’s been taking care of himself at the gym, I’ve noticed.
JP: Yes, he has! He wouldn’t dare show up to become a werewolf without hitting the gym for a few weeks before. He’s looking good.

JH: And what’s Damon’s part in next week. Is he protecting Elena?
JP: Yeah, it deals with him having to live up to his promise to make sure Elena is protected and the way he chooses to do that is kind of funny. Funny and a little bit Damon-mean as far as Elena is concerned. It gives Damon a good laugh at the way he’s able to keep Elena from getting herself into any trouble. There’s also a new character coming to town named Jules (Michaela McManus) who comes looking for her friend Mason Lockwood and when Damon catches wind of that he realizes he has a problem that needs to be dealt with because, of course, as we know, Mason Lockwood is no more so he has to put the kibosh on the search for him.

JH: Is Jules human or…do we find out?
JP: We don’t know. We’re meeting her for the first time next week so that all remains to be seen.


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Say what you will about Mason Lockwood (Taylor Kinney), but clearly the dude was well liked by the Floridians. Michaela McManus makes her "The Vampire Diaries" debut on Thursday, Dec. 9, as Jules, a friend of Mason's who comes to Mystic Falls looking for him. Now, Stephen Amell has been confirmed as a guest star and what do you know? He has a connection to our dearly departed werewolf as well.

As first reported by E! Online, Amell will be playing Brady, who producers say is "an old friend of Mason Lockwood who blows into town with a vengeance. [He's a] loyal friend or your worst enemy depending on who you are. Did we mention he was hot?" A hot guy on "TVD"? What a nice change of pace for the show. No word yet on if Brady is a werewolf or not.



Amell will appear in two episodes, one of which he is filming now (episode 13). Clearly, he is going to be facing off against Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder), so we suggest he buy some metal chest armor before rolling into town. We all know how much enjoyment Damon gets out of ripping out a heart, human or werewolf. He's all for equal opportunity.

Fun fact: Amell was recently up for the lead role in "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" (which is being recast after Andy Whitfield had to quit the show due to his battle with cancer.)

P.S. Don't fret! Carina MacKenzie is still your go-to girl for all things "TVD", including Matt Donovan-centric tweets. She just (gasp!) took the day off, so please put down the vervain and wolfsbane.

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Mason Lockwood (Taylor Kinney) may be dead, but his werewolfy legacy lives on.

Insiders confirm to us that a young actor named Stephen Amell has joined the cast of CW's The Vampire Diaries as a character with a connection to Tyler's (Michael Trevino) gorgeous uncle. So who is this new kid, exactly, and what role does he play in Mystic Falls' ongoing werewolf-vampire shenanigans? Here's what we can reveal:

Producers tell us this about Amell's character: "Stephen plays Brady—an old friend of Mason Lockwood who blows into town with a vengeance. [He's a] loyal friend or your worst enemy depending on who you are. Did we mention he was hot?" (We believe you about the hotness—good looks and the werewolf gene are quite obviously linked!)

Look for Brady to appear in two episodes, one of which is filming right now.

Wow, Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder) better watch his back. It looks like it's not as easy as he thought it would be to torture and murder a gorgeous werewolf and get away scot-free. In addition to Amell's Brady character, Michaela McManus joins the cast for the Dec. 9 episode "By the Light of the Moon," as Jules, a friend of Mason's from Florida who comes looking for her missing buddy.

Amell was also recently a contender for the lead role in the upcoming season of Spartacus: Blood and Sand.

So do you think Brady is a full-blood werewolf who goes crazy during the full moon, or is he just a concerned pal from Mason's past? Hit the comments with your theories!

Source: E! Online

"By The Light Of The Moon" Official Description:
TYLER FACES HIS FIRST TRANSFORMATION — As the full moon approaches, Caroline (Candice Accola) helps Tyler (Michael Trevino) prepare for the transformation he is powerless to stop. While Stefan (Paul Wesley) and Katherine (Nina Dobrev) play mind games on one another, Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Alaric (Matt Davis) are suspicious when a stranger named Jules (guest star Michaela McManus) shows up in Mystic Falls, searching for her missing friend, Mason. Elena (Dobrev) is frustrated at the lengths Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) and her friends have gone to in order to keep her safe. Bonnie (Katerina Graham) and Luca (guest star Bryton James) work together on a spell, while still keeping secrets from one another. Finally, Elijah (guest star Daniel Gillies) makes an unexpected appearance with an offer that could change everything. Sara Canning and Zach Roering also star.. Posted on VampireSite.net. Elizabeth Allen directed the episode written by Mike Daniels (#211).

Ian’s appearance on Jay Leno last night. Lot’s of talk about women, Louisiana women, New York women, Hawaii women…lol Enjoy! And check out this great pic, Jay Leno tweeted after filming the show last night!

"Enjoy this cover I did, which was played on "The Vampire Diaries", of one of my favorite songs from the '90s, "Only Happy When It Rains" by Garbage."

Season 2, Episode 11 – Aired: 12/9/2010

As the full moon approaches, Caroline (Candice Accola) helps Tyler (Michael Trevino) prepare for the transformation he is powerless to stop. While Stefan (Paul Wesley) and Katherine (Nina Dobrev) play mind games on one another, Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Alaric (Matt Davis) are suspicious when a stranger named Jules (guest star Michaela McManus) shows up in Mystic Falls, searching for her missing friend, Mason. Elena (Dobrev) is frustrated at the lengths Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) and her friends have gone to in order to keep her safe. Bonnie (Katerina Graham) and Luca (guest star Bryton James) work together on a spell, while still keeping secrets from one another.

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Could a hookup be in the future for the "Vampire Diaries" new werewolf and vampire? Plus, is Taylor Momsen leaving "Gossip Girl"?

Nina Dobrev personally is making sure nothing gets lost in translation on The Vampire Diaries.

With a little help from her mom, that is.

Dobrev and her mother worked on the Bulgarian dialogue that was used in the most recent new episode to air (Nov. 11). The 21-year-old Dobrev is Bulgarian-Canadian, having been born in Bulgaria but raised in Toronto.

“I called my mom, and she and I translated it,” Dobrev said of the Bulgarian dialogue in the episode titled Katerina.

“I think the writers had used an internet translator and it was so funny. All those online translators are never right. So we did it. I translated my own dialogue, but I called my mom just to confirm I was right.

“I worked really, really hard on that (episode),” added Dobrev, on the phone last week during a rare day off from shooting. “I really got to play the four different characters. And it was great to play the innocence of pre-vampire Katherine, when she was just a normal human.”

Dobrev has been particularly busy with dual roles this season on The Vampire Diaries, which airs Thursdays on CW and A.

There’s the sweet but plucky teen Elena, who has inspired the devotion of vampire brothers Stefan (Paul Wesley) and Damon (Ian Somerhalder). But there also is the vampire Katherine, who previously inspired the devotion of Stefan and Damon before she turned them into vampires themselves.

When Dobrev mentioned “four characters,” she wasn’t exaggerating. There’s Elena; there’s modern-day Katherine; there’s 1800s Katherine, seen many times in flashbacks; and now 1400s Katherine and her Bulgarian dialogue has been added to the fray. With regard to all the heavy lifting, Dobrev said she’s fortunate everything has happened gradually.

“I’ve done it in small baby steps,” Dobrev said. “I’ve been given a lot of opportunities in different parts of my life, starting in Toronto with Degrassi, then the bit parts in movies that I did, and now The Vampire Diaries.

“But even with this TV show, I signed on to play the one character and it slowly got bigger and bigger, and more and more. They kind of eased me into two pretty intense roles.”

Elena and Katherine are so different that the producers of The Vampire Diaries easily could have tweaked the story and simply hired a second actress.

True, the fact that Elena and Katherine are doppelgangers is central to the plot now. But with only slight alterations to the tale, their connection could have been about blood lines and similar looks rather than identical looks.

Alas, they decided to go with “Dobrev times two”, which obviously creates an acting challenge.

“One of them has been on the earth for only, what, 17, 18 years? And the other one has been around for 500-plus years,” Dobrev said. “That’s a little bit of a difference.

Katherine is more worldly and even the clothing affects the way I act.

“If I put on a pair of heels, I start walking differently and it holds true to Katherine. But if I’m in Converse (running shoes) and jeans and a T-shirt, I feel very much like Elena.”

To sum up, Nina Dobrev is playing Elena, three Katherines, and is serving as an unofficial translator on The Vampire Diaries. So Dobrev must be getting at least double, if not quadruple or quintuple the pay, right?

“Uh ... can’t comment on that,” Dobrev said. “But I’m working really hard.”

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