It’s Ian Somerhalder’s birthday. So let’s CELEBRATE! First, change into something a little more comfortable . . .
Make sure you’ve got your favorite tunes playing . . .
You are DEFINITELY going to want to DANCE!
Pour yourself a drink . . . or twenty!
And don’t worry about those pesky calories. INDULGE YOURSELF!
Put your feet up, and relax . . .
And don’t forget to pucker up for those birthday kisses!
Who knows? You may even end up getting LAID!
You may have noticed that I spend a lot of time on this blog going on (and on . . . and on) about Ian Somerhalder – the actor. I’ll write posts about the various roles he’s played, throughout his career, or his acting techniques, or the deft with which he’s established himself as a complex and intriguing male romantic lead. Yet, through all of this, I very rarely take the opportunity to talk about Ian Somerhalder – The Man.
Well, now “The Man” has just turned 32. So, what better time than NOW, to peek into Ian Somerhalder’s life: where he has been, and, perhaps, even more importantly, where is he GOING . . .
Ian Somerhalder was born December 8, 1978 in Covington, Louisianna. His gregarious nature, and natural good looks led him to begin a career in modeling at a very early age . . .
But, at the age of 17, Ian found himself craving something more. And so, he began to pursue a career in acting.
Though Ian made a name for himself playing roles like the bisexual schemer Paul Denton in the film The Rules of Attraction, and sexually confused private school student Hamilton Fleming, in the short-lived television series, Young Americans, his big break came in 2004, when he auditioned for the role of Boone Carlye, in what would become ABC’s most successful television series, Lost.
But then the writers had to go and kill off his character, during the show’s first season. (Yeah . . . THAT SUCKED!)
So, Ian took his talents to the stage, starring as a teenaged version of Pig Pen in the Off-Broadway Peanuts tribute play, Dog Sees God, alongside other up-and-coming actors, America Ferrara (Ugly Betty, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants), Eliza Dushku (Bring it On, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dollhouse), Ari Graynor (Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist), Logan Marshall Green (The O.C.), and Eddie Kaye Thomas (American Pie).
(Believe it or not, I actually got to see this show live. I loved it to pieces.)
And . . . then came The Vampire Diaries, and a little Brooding Bad Boy Bloodsucker, we like to call Damon Salvatore . . .
The show was an instant success, and quickly built up a rabid fanbase. This can largely be attributed (in addition to great writing) to the stellar acting skills and amazing chemistry of its talented cast members . . .
The success of The Vampire Diaries helped Ian gain recognition both as Entertainment Weekly’s Sexy Beast, and as one of People Magazine’s Sexiest Men Alive in 2010.
But Ian is more than a pretty face, talented actor, and charming interviewee, he’s also a pretty darn good person, who cares about the environment and wants to better his community. A staunch animal lover, and owner of three cats . . .
In fact, Ian was one of the main voices behind the Gulf Oil Spill Telethon hosted by Larry King this year.
Today, in honor of his 32nd birthday, Ian will launch his own foundation geared toward positively impacting the planet and its creatures. You can learn more about the Ian Somerhalder foundation (and how to make a donation) by clicking here. To learn more about what’s going on in the Fabulous Life of Ian Somerhalder, go ahead and follow him on Twitter.
But, however, you decide to celebrate Ian’s birthday, be sure to watch The Vampire Diaries this Thursday at 8 p.m . . .
Do you adore this new promotional poster for Season 2 of The Vampire Diaries as much as I do? If so, you are going to LOVE THIS ONE!
Labor Day Weekend is just days away. And you all know what that means . . . summer is almost over.
But it ALSO means that the fall television viewing season is about to begin! And would anyone like to guess what the FIRST show to RETURN will be? I’ll give you a hint . . .
It’s The Vampire Diaries! And it’s coming back to the CW on Thursday, September 9th, which is only ONE WEEK AWAY!
And yet, when hot shirtless vampires are involved, a week can seem like a REALLY LONG TIME! That is why I have devised this fool proof ten-step plan to get you through the last Salvatore-less week of YOUR LIVES (at least until the next hiatus). So, without further adieu, here are ten things you can do to tide yourself over, while you are waiting to watch the season premiere of The Vampire Diaries.
1) Rewatch ALL of Season 1!
Not only does today mark the final week before Season 2 of The Vampire Diaries premieres, it also marks the day that the Season 1 DVD was released in stores and online. What better way to refresh your memory on old TVD episodes than to watch them in the comfort of your OWN home, on your OWN time schedule. In addition to all 22 original episodes, the DVD also features: deleted scenes from the show, creator and director commentary, a gag reel, a webisode series, and much more! You can purchase it here.
Low on funds right now, and not quite ready to shell out the “big bucks” for the Season 1 DVD? Fear not! You can find a fairly comprehensive (if I do say so myself ;)) recap of the Season 1 Finale, by clicking here.
2) Watch Season 2 Promos (and then watch them again . . . and again . . . and again)
In anticipation of the upcoming second season of The Vampire Diaries, the CW has been releasing titillating trailers for the series, throughout the summer. You can probably find ALL of the trailers, by doing a quick YouTube search under “The Vampire Diaries Season 2 Promo.” However, I’m going to post the three most popular ones, right here, for you to enjoy. The first trailer, of course, belongs to my favorite character on the show, DAMON SALVATORE!
Watch him be deliciously DAMON-Y, to the tune of OneRepublic’s “Everybody Loves Me.”
This next trailer was the second one released in the series. And it definitely wins the award for SEXIEST TRAILER EVER! The song featured in the trailer is “Cosmic Love” by Florence and the Machine.
But, if I had to choose a favorite trailer, it would have to be the this next one, because IT features BRAND NEW SCENES FROM THE SEASON PREMIERE!
For a more in-depth look at THIS trailer, click here.
3) Rock out to music from the show!
Nothing gets you in the MOOD for a show about sexy vampires, like the music you were listening to when you first met them. CW shows are known for their amazing soundtracks. And The Vampire Diaries is no exception. Featuring a host of songs from a”Who’s Who in Contemporary Artists” including Katy Perry, The All-American Rejects, Placebo, The Fray, White Lies, OneRepublic, and TONS more, The Vampire Diaries soundtrack has a little something for everybody.
The official soundtrack for the show is slated to be released in October 2010. However, you can check out the track listing here.
“But WAIT,” you say. “How am I supposed to PREPARE for the season premiere by listening to a soundtrack that ISN’T EVEN OUT YET?”
Good point . . .
Fortunately, I found this AWESOME website that lists EVERY SINGLE SONG featured in The Vampire Diaries (organized by the episodes in which they aired). This website also offers you links to download the songs (and accompanying music videos) from iTunes and other popular music download sites. Ready to rock out to some fangy tunes? Just click here, and get ready to do some serious dancing!
4) Follow the stars and creators of The Vampire Diaries on Twitter.
These days, it seems like EVERYBODY (except me) has a Twitter account. And the cast and crew of The Vampire Diaries are no exception. And while I don’t actually “tweet” myself, I still like to visit the Twitter pages of the stars of my favorite shows on a fairly regular basis. Why? Not only is it a great way to get to know the real people behind the characters you love, it’s also a FABULOUS way to get the inside scoop on your favorite shows, from the people working on the front lines. Sometimes, they even post set pictures and script pages there!
Here are the Twitter pages for MOST of the stars of The Vampire Diaries. (Paul Wesley doesn’t have one. 😦 )
For Ian Somerhalder (Damon Salvatore)’s Twitter page, click here.
For Nina Dobrev (Elena Gilbert)’s Twitter page, click here.
For Steven R. McQueen (Jeremy Gilbert)’s Twitter page, click here.
For Michael Trevino (Tyler Lockwood)’s Twitter page, click here.
For Candice Accola (Caroline Forbes)’s Twitter page, click here.
For Katerina Graham (Bonnie Bennett)’s Twitter page, click here.
For show creator / writer Kevin Williamson’s Twitter page, click here.
And for show creator / writer Julie Plec’s Twitter page, click here.
5) Watch cast and crew interviews on YouTube.
If reading a star’s Twitter page helps you get to know what he is like as a person, watching that star interview helps you get to know what he is like as an actor, and how he develops his respective roles. The cast and crew of The Vampire Diaries interview like CRAZY! And folks on YouTube POST these interviews online like crazy. A quick YouTube search of “[insert TVD actor’s name] interview” is sure to find you more content than you could ever watch in a lifetime.
But, just in case you AREN’T a vampire, are NOT immortal, and, therefore, have limited time to watch interviews, I have taken the liberty of posting a few for you here. For example, here is a fun one featuring Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec discussing how they came about casting Nina Dobrev, as Elena, and Ian Somerhalder, as Damon. (There is some GREAT audition footage of both actors in here as well).
Here’s a nice interview with Paul Wesley . . .
. . . and here’s one with Nina Dobrev . . .
. . . and here’s one with Ian Somerhalder . . .
But, of course, the ULTIMATE TVD cast interviews would have to come from Comic Con 2010. . .
For THOSE interviews, and more information on THAT event, click here.
6) Watch video of the cast of The Vampire Diaries from BEFORE they were vampires . . .
Believe it or not, Ian, Nina and Paul weren’t ALWAYS on The Vampire Diaries.
In fact, they each already had pretty extensive acting resumes, by the time the show aired. Sometimes, watching stars in some of their earlier work, can be as much fun as looking at your friends’ embarrassing baby pictures. For this reason, I would like to introduce you to two non-TVD videos for each of the show’s main stars.
Check out Paul Wesley’s brief career as an angel in the short-lived ABC Family series’ Fallen (and watch him converse with a talking dog).
Angelic, Dog Whisperer, Paul Wesley, not your thing? Perhaps, you’d prefer him evil, shirtless and doing pullups, his guest starring role as the nefarious Lucas on Smallville.
Before Nina Dobrev was Vampire Katherine, or even Elena Gilbert, she starred in a Nickelodeon version of High School Musical, entitled American Mall.
Watch her sing, dance (and act a little) here.
But even before American Mall, Nina got her start as Teen Baby Mama, Mia Jones on Degrassi: The Next Generation.
Watch her cope with a possessed high school pal, in this “very special” Halloween episode of the show.
And then, there’s Ian (sigh)!
Here’s a guy who could make even INCEST sexy. And he DID, as Boone Carlyle, on Lost. (OK, Boone and Shannon, weren’t blood-related. But still!)
OK. So, most of you probably already knew that Ian Somerhalder played Boone on Lost. However, many of you may not have known that he also played Hamilton on the ill-fated Dawson’s Creek spinoff, Young Americans — a guy who fell in love with a girl, who he THOUGHT was a guy (even though his character wasn’t supposed to be gay . . . weird).
7) Ogle Photos and Gifts of Your Favorite TVD stars!
One of the great things about being a television recapper, is that you manage to amass a FABULOUS collection of stills, photographs, and animated GIFS of actors and actresses from your favorite programs. For your viewing pleasure, here are just a few of my favorite TVD photos and GIFS:
8 ) Get to know the NEW TVD characters (and the actors who play them) BEFORE the season starts.
By now, you are probably pretty familiar with the characters of The Vampire Diaries and the actors who play them. However, this season, the writers will introduce at least TWO more characters (and actors) into the mix, with whom you might not be so familiar. The first is, Mason Lockwood, Tyler Lockwood’s uncle, a fellow werewolf, and the black sheep of the Lockwood family. He will be played by actor, Taylor Kinney. You can hear what Taylor has to say about his new role, in his interview with TV Guide, here.
Another new character that will be introduced during Season 2 of TVD is Vanessa, a Duke University graduate student, with supernatural origins. (She’s a “blue devil” — whatever THAT means.) Vanessa will be played by actress, Courtney Ford.
A bit more information on Courtney and her character can be found here.
9) Read the novels on which The Vampire Diaries are (loosely) based.
As you may or may not know, the idea for The Vampire Diaries television show was derived from the characters in a series of four books written by author, L.J. Smith — the first of which came out as early as 1991! Those books were entitled: The Awakening, The Struggle, The Fury, and Dark Reunion, respectively. Although you will notice quite a few differences between those books and the CW series (the LEAST of which being that “Book Elena” is a blonde), the former are still interesting and intriguing in their own right, and, therefore, worth a read by TVD fans.
The books are sold in groups of two. The first two, The Awakening and The Struggle, can be purchased here.
The second two, The Fury and Dark Reunion, can be purchased here.
As a result of the success of The Vampire Diaries series, L.J. Smith decided to add a new trilogy to The Vampire Diaries Series, nearly two decades after the first book was written. The books in The Return series are entitled Nightfall,Shadow Souls, and Midnight,respectively.The first two are already available in bookstores and online. The third is said to be available some time in 2011.
You can purchase the not particularly popular, Nightfall, here, and the slightly better reviewed, Shadow Souls,here.
In addition to the aforementioned books, L.J. Smith has recently joined forces with show creators, Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec, to produce a prequel trilogy, based on the SHOW itself. The first of those three books, which have been collectively entitled Stefan’s Diaries, will be available sometime in November 2010. Howevver, it is available for preorder (but, so far, only in E-book format) here.
10) Purchase FABULOUS TVD-themed swag online!
Have money burning a hole in your wallet, and nothing to spend it on? Or, perhaps, you have a birthday coming up in the near future, and could think of nothing you would want more than a little TVD magic to take home with you, and enjoy during the show’s off hours. Fortunately, the internet is FILLED with fabulous Vampire Diaries -themed swag. From t-shirts, to calendars, to book marks, to posters, to coasters – if you can dream it up, it probably exists. While a quick internet search of “Vampire Diaries Merchandise” is likely to find you more than enough swag from which to choose, I’ve decided to post a few of my favorite TVD items here, just for you.
For example, check out this AWESOME WWDD t-shirt. (It stands for “What Would Damon Do?” of course!)
You can purchase this lovely article of clothing here.
This funky vintage tee can be found at the WB store website, along with other choice merchandise
.And finally, since you ALREADY count out the days of your life, based on when The Vampire Diaries airs (Don’t deny it! I know you do!), why not do it with a Vampire Diaries’ CALENDAR!
So, there you have it, 10 ways to pass the time, while waiting for Season 2 of The Vampire Diaries to begin. Happy fangirling (or fanboying?)!
(As if it bears repeating, The Vampire Diaries’ Season 2 premiere episode, “The Return” airs September 9th at 8 p.m. However, thanks to this post, we now have plenty of things to do to keep us busy until that time . . . See you then!)
Last night, I wrote a blog entry, in which I discussed some of the lighter aspects of Lost‘s generally feel-good Series Finale, “The End.” In it, I, more or less, completely refrained from discussing the show’s controversial ending, and promised to tackle that issue exclusively in another post. Well, I’M BAAACK . . .
One Man of Science. One Man of Faith. The Island wasn’t big enough for both of them . . . or was it?
In the last season of Lost, there was much talk and broohaha about this image, and all the ideas it represents . . .
Light versus Dark. Black versus White. Good versus Evil. Heaven versus Hell. And while that dichotomy was certainly central to the battle between Jacob and the Man in Black . . .
. . . our Losties, for the most part, resided somewhere in between. Much like the rest of us non-television characters, their morality was covered in shades of grey. For them (and for us), the REAL battle for control of Lost island was one that was a lot less clear cut, making it a lot less certain who we should root for. And, ultimately, it was this battle, that took center stage during the final half of the Season finale. (After they, you know, got rid of that pesky Black Smoke thing . . .)
Jack v. Locke – The Man of Science versus The Man of Faith
Although Lost undoubtedly featured many characters and their respective stories of redemption, at its core were the journeys of two men. When we first meet Jack Shepard, he is the quintessential Man of Science. He’s a surgeon, and about as left-brained as a person can get. There is not a creative or artistic bone in this man’s body. So, understandably, when it comes to matters of faith or destiny, he’s a complete Doubting Thomas. For him, if an explanation doesn’t appear in a medical reference book, it just plain doesn’t exist.
John Locke, on the other hand, is a fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants, Man of Faith, guy. He’s Mister “Nobody tells me what I can and can’t do.” A guy who sees absolutely nothing wrong with signing up for a “walkabout,” despite being completely incapable of “walking about.” Upon crashing on the island, he suddenly regains use of his legs, and, thereafter, becomes convinced that the Island is his Destiny. He is absolutely certain that some higher power has brought him to the Island; and that he is, therefore, meant to remain and do great things there . . .
For the first Four Seasons of Lost, pretty much up until Locke’s “death,” we watched these two men battle it out with one another, arguing for the righteousness of their respective ideologies. Neither man would budge an inch with respect to his position. However, upon REAL Locke’s death, at the end of Season 4, things change for Jack Shepard. During the last two seasons of the show, Jack slowly evolved from a Man of Science into a Man of Faith.
First, after escaping the Island as part of the Oceanic Six, he returns to it, believing he is meant to rescue the others who remained thereon. In Season 6, when the Losties are once again ready to escape the island, this time on a boat, Jack jumps ship, convinced that the island “isn’t done with [him] yet. Then, in the penultimate episode of the show, Jack LITERALLY drinks Jacob’s Kool Aid, and agrees to remain on the island, throwing away his promising surgical career in order to “protect” what, for all intents and purposes, was a Giant Lightbulb . . .
Scientific Answers versus Mystical Answers – The SHOW About Science versus The SHOW About Faith
When it really came down to it, I think Lost‘s journey as a show, was similar to Jack’s journey, as a character. Lost started out as a Show About Science (Science Fiction, perhaps,but, science, nonetheless). In the show’s early seasons, many of the Island’s mysteries were explained through quasi-scientific means. Flight 815 was initially thought to have been brought down, as a result of the Island’s unique electromagnetic properties, which were inherent to the Island’s location, but were also exacerbated by a Hydrogen Bomb buried beneath its surface . . . These electromagnetic qualities also allowed the Island itself, and its inhabitants, to move freely through the time/space barrier and . . . basically . . . time travel.
Those all important numbers, which Hurley chose in order to win the lottery, and which Desmond was forced to repeatedly punch into a computer screen to prevent the Island’s destruction . . .
Were part of the Valenzetti Equation, derived by members of the Dharma Initiative, to determine the exact point in time at which all human life would cease to exist. The Dharma initiative itself was, more or less, a scientific research group, which took advanage of the island’s unique electromagnetic properties in order to experiment with various facets of human life, from a woman’s ability to give birth . . .
. . . to psychology, subliminal messaging, and mind control . . .
Then, Season 6 came around, and like Jack Shepard, Lost had to go and get all “Faith-y” on us. Island mysteries, like “why the plane crashed,” which had once been explained by science, were now explained as being part of the “Master Plan,” in a battle between the God-like Jacob . . .
. . . and the Devil-like Man in Black . . .
. . . for control of the Island, and, by extension, the souls of its inhabitants . . .
Supernatural, and biblical-type reasoning was now used to explain Island mysteries such as why MIB couldn’t escape the Island, why Richard Alpert wouldn’t age . . .
. . . why Jacob and MIB couldn’t kill one another, how Locke became Flocke . . .
. . . and who Adam and Eve were . . .
The Last Ten Minutes of the Finale Episode of Lost – Flash Sideways of Science (Time Travel) versus Flash Sideways of Faith (Purgatory)
So, I guess, it shouldn’t really have surprised me (but it DID!), that the final Lost mystery, the reason behind the Flash Sideways, ended up being a faith-based reason (preparation for the afterlife / purgatory) . . .
. . . as opposed to a science-based reason (an alternate universe created as a result of Juliet’s detonation of the hydrogen bomb at the end of Season 5).
And, I have to say, that the fact that this promo picture, released just before Season 6 began, didn’t give the religious implications of the finale away to me, makes me more than a bit mad at myself . . .
I guess, when it really comes down to it, how you felt about Lost’s final moments (MULTITUDE of unanswered questions notwithstanding), really comes down to which side of the Man of Science / Man of Faith debate YOU fall under. Me, personally? I’m a bit more of a “science” girl. So, I was a little disappointed that the Flash Sideways World did not, in fact, end up being the hydrogen bomb-created alternate universe I had initially envisioned.
Plus, Flash Sideways World just seemed so PERFECT! And because I’d truly grown to love these characters, having spent six years with them, I really wanted this world to exist FOR THEM! Because, without it . . .
Ji Yeon would REALLY be an orphan . . .
David Shepard would COMPLETELY cease to exist . . . Oh, and most of the Losties would already be DEAD!
. . . including THIS GUY!
But, putting my personal feelings aside, the fact that the Flash Sideways World ended up being purgatory makes sense, BECAUSE everything was so perfect there. In essence, Flash Sideways World gave our main Losties the oppportunity to redeem themselves from wrongs they felt they had committed during their actual lifetimes . . .
Jack Shepard had a bad relationship with his father, who degraded his worth constantly, and always chose his work over him, so in Flash Sideways World Purgatory he was a supportive and understanding father to his son . . .
During his lifetime, Sawyer was a con artist, who shunned justice. So, in purgatory, he was a detective, who fought hard to protect it.
Sorry! I know technically I should have found a “cop uniform” pic of Sawyer, but I just couldn’t help myself . . .
On the island, Kate unknowingly abandoned Claire, and ended up raising her child, Aaron. But in Purgatory, she guides Claire through the birthing process, and allows her to raise her own baby . . . And, as for Claire, she gets to keep her kid, and not become a skanky haired wackadoo. YAY!
In the real world, Sayid’s murderous lifestyle resulted in the death of the love of his life, Nadia.
In Purgatory, he lets his brother marry Nadia instead, and, in doing so, probably spares her life.
In the real world, Desmond loved Penny Widmore, but her father’s disapproval of him kept the two of them apart. In Purgatory, Desmond works for Charles Widmore, and has gained his utmost trust and respect . . .
In Purgatory, Hurley isn’t a loveable loser who won the lottery and STILL can’t accomplish anything. He’s a loveable WINNER, who get’s the girl and is rich enough to employ the ENTIRE CAST OF LOST!
Purgatory Ben is a kindly history teacher who saves Alex’s future, by sacrificing his own personal success to ensure her entrance into an Ivy League college, instead of . . . you know . . . GETTING HER KILLED! And Purgatory Locke is a pretty nice guy too, and Ben’s BFF to boot!
And, as I mentioned before, Jin and Sun, actually get to raise their kid Purgatory World. Plus, they successfully ditch Sun’s Asshat Dad.
Matthew Fox probably explained the whole “purgatory thing” best, in his post-finale interview with Jimmy Kimmel, when he said something to the effect of: “There’s a school of thought that, after you die, you go to a sort of ‘waiting place’ in which you encounter everyone who was important in your life. Once you have reunited with, and reconciled with, these people, you can truly accept your own mortality and . . . move on.” (And you just KNOW Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse fed him those words, because Matthew Fox may be smart, but not THAT smart!)
I’ll have to admit that when Christian Shepard (and if THAT’S not a “Man of Faith” name, I don’t know what is) . . .
. . . . appeared in that Non-Denominational (or, rather, ALL Denominational) Church / Temple, OUTSIDE of his own coffin, and replied to Jack’s question of “How did you get here? Aren’t you dead?” with . . .
“How did YOU get here?” . . .
I screamed at the television . . .
“YOU PROMISED THEY WEREN’T DEAD THIS WHOLE TIME, J.J. ABRAMS! YOU LIAR! I JUST WASTED SIX YEARS OF MY LIFE FOR YOU!”
But then, when Christian explained that, “Everything that happened on the Island was real . . . Everyone dies eventually . . . Some of these people died before you, some long after you . . .” I calmed down a bit . . .
And in the penultimate scene of the show, when Jack stumbles out from the cave, lays down on the ground next to doggie Vincent, watches his fellow Losties successfully escape the Island on a plane, and, subsequently, CLOSES his eyes in death, just as he had opened them so many times during the LIFE of the show, I thought to myself, “What an appropriate ending . . .”
But then they HAD to show me this . . .
While the producers didn’t go as far as I feared they would, by showing me a heap of dead bodies lying amongst the wreckage, they showed me enough to make me wonder if I was being f**ked with. And I couldn’t help but be reminded of ANOTHER intriguing, but unnerving, Open-Ended Series Finale that left me with more questions than answers . . .
(Special thanks to njean666 for this fabulous clip)
Here at TV Recappers Anonymous, we love ALL of our sexy television and movie men. But, admittedly, some of them get more love than others. Lately, Ian Somerhalder has been getting the MOST love of them all! Right now, you probably know him best as Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries.
On that show, he is the “big bad,” quite possibly sociopathic, definitely vampiric, 160 plus-year old, older brother to Paul Wesley’s Stefan Salvatore.
In his role as Damon Salvatore, Ian plays a man with a serious thirst for blood, a penchant for the ladies, and a soft spot for one Elena Gilbert.
Did I mention he owns a mansion, and enjoys dancing around it half naked?
(Click the internal link below, to view the video)
Now while all of this is FABULOUS for us fans, The Vampire Diaries only airs once a week. In fact, there are only TWO more episodes in the season. Very soon, Somerhalder fans will be faced with a summer-long draught of open-shirted, brow-furrowed, snarky commenting, fabulous dancing goodness. After all, there are only SO MANY Damon Salvatore fan videos you can watch on YouTube!
This is where I come in . . . You see, believe it or not, before The Vampire Diaries, Ian Somerhalder was actually in OTHER STUFF!
Shocking, I know! The purpose of this blog entry today, is to help guide YOU toward Ian Somerhalder YouTube Nirvana. This way, once The Vampire Diaries is on hiatus (after you’ve broken the virtual “Play” button on your “Damon and Vicki Dancing Webclip,” and after you have watched every single Damon Salvatore fan video known to man), you have some other places to look, in order to satisfy your Somerhalder-sized cravings . . .
Young Americans (2000)
This short-lived WB series (pre-CW) about an all-boys boarding school wasn’t around that long. In fact, the show (a spinoff of the popular teen drama Dawson’s Creek), only lasted about eight episodes. And yet, in that brief amount of time, it managed to REALLY push the envelope with some surprisingly risque storylines. Most notably (of course, otherwise why would I include it here?) was the plotline involving Ian Somerhalder’s character, Hamilton Fleming, the All-American son of the school’s dean. In the pilot episode, he meets a “boy” named Jake Pratt. The two quickly bond and become friends.
The problem? Heretofore straight Hamilton soon finds himself attracted to Jake, who Hamilton thinks is gay (Jake tried to kiss him near the end of the first episode). So, of course, Hamilton begins to wonder whether he is gay too.
Hamilton may very well be gay. But here’s the thing: Jake is a GIRL! For reasons that I never quite understood (something about getting revenge against her absentee mother) “Jake” a.k.a. Jacqueline posed as a boy to attend the all-boy school. In the below scene, which was highly reminiscent of the prom scene in that old 80’s flick, Just One of the Guys . . .
(This film is VERY dated. But it’s a good Netflix rental, if you’re ever in the mood for a gender-bending good time . . .)
. . . Jacqueline finally comes clean to Hamilton about her . . . um . . . sex.
This exchange actually occurs during the fourth episode of the show. So I really haven’t spoiled all that much for you. What’s nice is that, on YouTube, someone was kind enough to distill the entire series into ONLY the Jake and Hamilton parts from each episode, and post them online. So you can see the couple’s ENTIRE story in under a half-hour’s time. Somerhalder’s excellent acting skills and the “Jake” character’s androgeny makes these clips WAY more erotic than they should be . . . It’s definitely worth a look-see, in my opinion.
The Rules of Attraction (2002)
This film, which was based on a very jaded and dark, but oddly insightful, novel about college life, written by Bret Easton Ellis (Less than Zero, American Psycho), featured a fairly impressive cast of hot up-and-coming early twenty-something actors, most notably: Dawson’s Creek‘s James van der Beek, playing a decidedly un-Dawson like role . . .
(Joey Potter would not approve.)
. . . Jessica Biel . . .
. . . and Kate Bosworth (who, coincidentally, also starred in Young Americans with Ian Somerhalder)
Here, Ian plays the bisexual and sexually frustrated Paul Denton, a man who seemingly has only two favorite pasttimes: sex and dancing. Lucky for him (and us), he gets to do both throughout the movie . . .
Unfortunately, for my purposes at least, the creators of The Rules of Attraction don’t allow embedding on ANY of their original webclips on YouTube. However, there are literally a TON of them out there. Just type “Ian Somerhalder” or “Paul Denton” and “Rules of Attraction,” and you are bound to find them all. Not surprisingly, most of my favorites of these involve a shirtless Somerhalder dancing and jumping on a hotel bed in his boxer briefs.
Remind you of anything?
Lost (2004 -)
Those of you who have read this blog before, know that I am a big fan of early Lost episodes, particularly those from the show’s first season. Of course, THIS GUY had a lot to do with that . . .
Boone Carlyle was everything you’d want in a guy. Kind-hearted, loyal, intelligent, brave, resourceful,well-to-do, athletic, and dead sexy. So, of course, the Lost writers had to crush him with a plane and kill him near the end of Season 1. But before that happened, we got to watch him, through flashbacks, engage in a VERY inappropriate sexual relationship with his younger stepsister, Shannon.
And, you know what? As much as you REALLY didn’t want to like these two together (Aside from being his relative, Shannon was a manipulative bitch, who basically treated Boone like crap his whole life, and used his feelings for her to con him out of $50 grand.), you just couldn’t get away from the fact that they were both so DAMN HOT! The chemistry between Maggie Grace and Ian Somerhalder was so smoldering, they practically burnt a hole in your television, every time they were on screen together. Watch this clip, if you don’t believe me . . .
Need more? Type “Boone and Shannon” and “Lost” into your YouTube search bar, and you will find plenty more where that came from . . .
That’s all for now, Somerhalder fans. Just a little something to whet your appetite during those long HOT Vampire Diaries – less months.
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