The Vampire Diaries Cast at Eyecon Day 2 (a.k.a. My Day with Paul Wesley)

Hey, Fangbangers!  Greetings from Mystic Falls!

I am writing to you from Damon Salvatore’s bed . . .

Is that a bottle between your legs, or are you just happy to see me?

 . . . located in the heart of La Casa de Rich and Awesome!

OK . . . I’m actually in a hotel in Atlanta, attending The Vampire Diaries conference.  But that’s basically the same thing, right?

OK, maybe not . . .

So, yesterday afternoon, at the convention, I had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity get up close in personal with THIS GUY!

That’s right, ladies (and gentleman).  Paul Wesley, a.k.a. Stefan Salvatore, spent over an hour with a conference room filled with fans today, personally answering each and every one of their burning questions. 

Here are some of the highlights . . .

* When asked about whether he preferred his character’s sweet  and earnest dynamic with Elena over his intensely passionate dynamic with Katherine, Paul diplomatically stated that he enjoyed elements of both relationships.  And yet, he did seem just a teensy weensy bit partial to one over the other.  “I love the moments when [Stefan] gets to indulge and be a bit lustful.  There is definitely a mischievous side to Stefan, and Katherine brings that out in him.”

GO TEAM KEFAN!

* Speaking of Stefan’s mischievous side, when asked whether he ever wishes his character wasn’t so “earnest and broody,” Paul admitted that he did sometimes covet the opportunity to inject some of his natural humor and wit into the oh-so-serious Stefan Salvatore.  (If you’ve ever seen Paul interview, you know that he is  SERIOUSLY FUNNY guy!)  Fortunately, the writers have PROMISED Paul that Season 3, he will get his wish!  You know what that means, ladies!  DARK STEFAN is due for a comeback!

* Upon being asked which character he’d MOST like to play on The Vampire Diaries (aside from Stefan or Damon), Paul replied, Elena . . .

Just kidding!  But he did mention that he had a lot of interest in playing a werewolf.

“A few years back, I played a werewolf in another  television series [Wolf Lake].  I really enjoyed the whole concept, and the idea of undergoing that type of transformation.”

A still of Paul from Wolf Lake.  I am SO renting this DVD!

Of course, being a werewolf on The Vampire Diaries is not your typical were-gig . . .

Certain .  . . “assets” and “skill sets” are required.

We already KNOW Paul has the abs to play a werewolf on The Vampire Diaries. 

But . . .  is he “flexible” enough?

*Regarding his impressive ability to cry on screen (breaking fangirls hearts the world over) . . .

 . . . Paul said that Ian lays on the ground beneath him, and pinches his leg until he cries!

Of course, he was only kidding about that.  (See, what I mean?  VERY FUNNY!)  “The writing on this show is so incredibly good,” Paul responded.  “The story is so beautiful.  Here is a guy who spent years searching for something, and everything leads him to this one person.  Finally, he has found the woman of his dreams.  And now he may lose her . . . How can you not get involved in a tale like that, and . . . emote?” 

*Speaking of emoting, Paul’s favorite scene from Season 1 of The Vampire Diaries is the one that leads up to him and Elena having sex for the first time . . .

 . . .  a trait I suspect he shares with many Stelena fans.

“There was that moment,” Paul explained.  “When [Elena] sees what I am for the first time.  She touches my face and my veins.  This beautiful woman has accepted me for who I am.  It is a very intimate and beautiful moment, filled with symbolism,”

*Speaking of intimate moments . . .

 . . . one fan was curious to know who the lucky dog  is in that INFAMOUS paparazzi picture?

“It’s not my pitbull.  I was actually dog sitting.  The pitbull belongs to my good friend Benjamin McKenzie (a.k.a Ryan Atwood from The O.C.),”  Paul replied.

So, Ryan Atwood, and Stefan Salvatore are pals in real life?  BEST . . . BROMANCE . . . EVER!  Well . . . almost . . .

*In unrelated news, for those of you who were curious about Paul’s favorite scary movie?

It’s “The Shining.”

*Speaking of movies, I’m sure you are all dying to know whether Paul is Team Edward or Team Jacob?

“I can’t decide, and I hate it!” Paul insists.  (So much for that!)

*Paul may not be able to come to a decision on the infamous Twilight question.  However, he has had a major revelation, regarding his decision to FINALLY join Twitter. 

 “I really enjoy it,” he admitted proudly.  “Riffing with my castmates, and teasing them, we get a chance to show another side of herself.”

For those of you who ARE following Paul on Twitter, be on the lookout for a playlist of his favorite songs.  Because, according to Paul.  It’s coming soon to a Twitter feed near you!

*Regarding his castmates, Paul had THIS to say about Daniel Gillies, who plays Elijah . . .

“I literally adore Daniel!”  He exclaims.  “Elijah brings such an interesting dynamic to the show.  He’s kind of Arnold Schwartzenager in The Terminator . . .”

“He’s this hard-ass killing machine, but that little boy touches his heart .  . . I hope we get to see that Little Boy Moment with Elijah someday.”  (In other words, fangbangers, as for Elijah . . . “He’ll be BACK!”)

*As for Matt Davis (a.k.a. Alaric Saltzman) . . .

“We have a good time together.  He makes fun of me.  I make fun of him,” Paul recalled fondly

*And Ian?

“He’s my brother!  He’s my boy!  I love him.”  He said, getting a bit (fake) teary, as he expressed his adoration for the Elder Salvatore.

Ahhhh, yes, Ian Somerhalder, the Man . . . the Myth . . . the Legend.  I will be seeing HIM today in just a few short hours.  Am I excited?  You BET I AM!

I’m not entirely sure how things are going to go.  But, I suspect it will turn out a bit like this . . .

A girl can dream, right?

[www.juliekushner.com][Fangirls Forever]

July 4th Movie Quote Contest (a.k.a. The post my lazy butt came up with at the last minute, because I drank too much on July 4th)

Have you ever noticed how there is nothing AT ALL to watch on television during the entire July 4th weekend?  Case in point:  Earlier this evening, I was flipping through channels in search of decent programming.  The viewing selection on my small screen was SO bad, that I actually watched an infomercial . . . on a motor scooter for the elderly . . . for a full half hour.  It was only 10 p.m.

Four glasses of wine in my belly, and I was actually about to purchase this . . . another two glasses, and I would have bought a spare one for my pet cat.

But you know what DOESN’T suck during July 4th weekend?  MOVIES!

July 4th weekend is a time when film production companies tend to release their highest budget films, in hopes of scoring big at the box office, and, thereby, achieving that much coveted “blockbuster” status.  It is also a time when television networks tend to air some of Hollywood’s most successful blockbusters, during prime time hours.  Networks tend to do this because (1) why bother putting out new content, when everyone is too sunburned and beer-logged to watch it; and (2) the few people who ARE watching are so happy to find something decent on television to watch and so very drunk, they won’t care at all that it’s a movie they have already seen 25 times.

For this reason and because I have had too much to drink to be genuinely creative, I have decided to run a little informal contest / game here at TV Recappers Anonymous.  The winner gets . . . well . . . to be honest, the winner gets nothing, because I don’t have anything to give him or her.

However, having a contest win of any kind under your belt WILL provide you with massive “street cred” on the blogosphere, not to mention something to brag about at all your upcoming July 4th parties!

OK . . . Here’s how the game works.  Got a pen and paper handy?

Good!

I’m going to show you a YouTube video featuring 100 famous movie quotes.  As you watch the video, jot down as many movies and quote-uttering actors as you recognize.  Then, tally up your points.  You get one point for each movie you correctly identify, and one point for each actor. 

And remember NO CHEATING!  If I hear later from your friends that you paused this video and started trolling around IMDB for the answers, I am going to find out your home address, and personally mail this to it . . .

Don’t think I won’t do it, either! 

If you’d like, feel free to comment here on how many points out of the possible 200 you received.  If not, don’t worry, I won’t be insulted . . .

 .  . . well, maybe I’ll be a little insulted.  But I’ll get over it.

This would actually be a pretty cool game to play with your friends on July 4th, assuming the party you are attending is extremely lame.  Additionally, I’m pretty sure there is a way to turn this into a drinking game.  I just haven’t quite figured out how to do it yet.  (Your suggestions in that regard, of course, are welcome too.)

So, without further adieu, here are 100 famous movie quotes in under four minutes . . . Good luck!

(At some point, I MIGHT add a comment to this post that includes the “answers” to this game.  Until then, you are on the honor system.  And remember, I’ll be WATCHING YOU!)

 Happy July 4th, everyone!

My Deep Dark Secret: I HATE Willy Wonka!

When I was a little girl, we had to watch the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory movie in school.  While most of my classmates sat on the library floor pin straight and smiling, rapt with attention, mouths watering from all that candy on the screen; I was hunched over in a ball, eyes intently studying my fingers, tears on my cheeks, praying for the bell to ring. 

The truth of the matter was, everything about this movie frightened me.  To me, the Oompa Loompas looked like demonic oranges thirsting for blood . . .

. . . or, perhaps, the cast of MTV’s Jersey Shore, whichever you prefer. 

(“Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid.”)

And Gene Wilder had the same wild and crazy eyes Jack Nicholson had in The Shining, not exactly the ideal babysitter, if you know what I mean.  Not to mention what the “kindly” Willy Wonka did to the kids.  I mean, I get that this movie was based on a  Roald Dahl novel that was supposed to be a cautionary tale against childhood misbehavior.  But, seriously, did the harsh punishments really fit the crimes here? 

At the end of the original film, Wonka assures Charlie that all of the other kids will be returned to their normal selves.  And yet, after each child met his or her respective fate, we never saw any of them again.  As a child, I truly believed that Willy Wonka killed them all.  After all, isn’t that exactly what adults told kids when someone or something died – that they just “went away?” 

Sound crazy to you?  Look at the evidence.  Violet Beauregard eats a piece of gum that she isn’t supposed to eat, and, as a result becomes instantly and morbidly obese.  What kind of message is that for young girls?  Not only does she become obese, her skin becomes blue, as in, suffocation blue.  That girl was a coronary waiting to happen, if you ask me.

Augustus Gloop served as another threat against the dangers of overeating.  (You might as well call this movie Jenny Craig for Kids.) 

(“Come on, boys and girls . . . They have Chicken Fettucini . .  FETTUCINI!!!!!”)

Augustus gets sucked into a chocolate fudge pipe and dumped into a chocolate fudge river.  Now, I’m no science buff, so I’m not quite an expert on the buoyancy properties of fudge.  However, I know it’s not meant for swimming.  And to me, it kind of looked like the poor kid drowned . . .

The spoiled Veruca Salt gets attacked by rabid squirrels (Note: I’m from New Jersey, so all squirrels are rabid, as far as I’m concerned.)  She then gets dropped down a high shoot, with nothing to pad her fall.  Couch potato Mike Teevee is shrunk to teeny weeny size, and, the way I saw it, probably ended up stepped on and squashed like a bug.

In 2005, Tim Burton remade the film in such a way that you actually saw the “bad kids” exiting the factory at the end of the movie, alive and well.  And yet, while not quite as traumatic (I was also a bit older by this point), this version still creeped me out.  That inexplicable back story Tim Burton added made Johnny Depp’s Willy Wonka look like a pedophile who was definitively abused and possibly molested as a child.  And that dentist chair scene?  I get chills just thinking about it . . .

(“I’ve been waiting for you . . . little Clarice.”)

So, as you can see, when it comes to Willy Wonka, I’m simply not a fan.  Please don’t hate me!