When it comes to the fangirls/fanboys at Comic-Con, everyone has their niche that they fall into.  You’ve got your HP heads, X-Men freaks, the SteamPunk movement, Star Wars and Trekkie junkies….and then, the vamp lovers.  While Annie Rice started the obsession with the fanged avengers, it wasn’t until the Twilight Saga and Sookie Stackhouse stories were released that the madness went global.

Charlaine Harris, author of the Sookie Stackhouse stories made a two day appearance at this years Comic-Con, giving the die hard fans exactly what we all wanted; an inside look at the television series, book series and the cross over that happens in-between.

Harris walked into her initial Q&A session just as humble as Ms. Stackhouse herself.  In fact, a number of fans who approached her with questions commented on how similar she was to Sookie, in both her attitude and accent.  Almost as if the character was modeled after a young Harris.  On that note, let’s just right into it…where did Sookie Stackhouse come from?

“I named Sookie after the notion that the name itself reminded me of a good ol’ fashioned girl with a modern twist.”

The more we got into the psyche of Sookie, Harris revealed quite a few interesting facts.  1] The Sookie she created, often referred to as the ‘true Sookie,’ was actually a far curvier girl.  Interestingly enough, Harris didn’t find this out until Season 1 of True Blood wrapped, which is when she finally got a chance to meet Anna Pacquin.  We also got to talking about how some of the other characters she created compared to those cast in the series.  Just as I had predicted, both Andy Bellfleur and Pam were dead ringers.

Harris goes on to talk about the influence that Anne Rice had on her writing, citing herself as a mini-fangirl of Rice’s work.  When True Blood began airing, Harris was forced to join up on all of the popularized social network sites, becoming tech saavy almost overnight.  One of the first Facebook messages she received was from Anne Rice, who praised her work, telling Harris that she loved the series.  Her message response?  “Honey, you should read the books.”

One of the most interesting things learned during my time with Charlaine was the fact that she had absolutely no creative control when it came to the creation and direction of the show [True Blood].  When asked if she ever had doubts or regrets, she said:

“When HBP came to me and wanted the books, I said, “Sure, write me a check honey.” When selling the rights to your work, it isn’t about having control over where it goes…it’s having the control to decide who it goes to.  I feel like I made the right decision in choosing Alan, don’t you?”

If you aren’t an avid reader of the books, I will fill you in on a small secret, there are vast differences between the two series, with one of the most prominent being the creation of Jessica.  Invented by Alan Ball, Jessica plays an integral role in the series, going as far as to appear on the major promotional bill board, noting her as a staple part of the cast.  In fact, her presence in Bon Temps was enough to make Harris jealous, as she admitted to wishing that she would’ve invented her.  It seems that a baby vamp never crossed her mind, as Harris’ creation process is as follows;

“I invent people as I need them, and then I’ll flush them out.”

Both witty and vulnerably honest, Harris closed her session with the following:

“I will not be implementing any of HBO’s changes with the series into the Sookie series.  They are two completely different entities now, which is good for you.  It’s almost like you’re getting two for the price of one.”

Check out the remainder of the Q&A, where you can find out the pressing info you want to know…such as, if Sookie ever gets turned

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

As fans gear up for the big screen release of “Eclipse,” the merchandise continues to roll out. And it doesn’t get much sweeter than Dylan’s Candy Bar

The candy boutique carries Sweethearts, chocolates, caramels and Barbies too. Whether you’re for Edward or Jacob, Dylan has a little bite of ‘em all.

When Remedy Entertainment announced that it’s next title “Alan Wake” was being developed back in 2005 for the Xbox 360, it was rumored that it would be a game changer for the survival horror genre. With the game finally being released this year, it is safe to say that it almost nails the expectations and provides an experience unlike almost any other video game this year.

“Alan Wake” borrows from “Twin Peaks,” “24,” “The X-Files” and the work of Stephen King to weave an interesting tale that blends fiction with reality. Rather than the high octane shoot-em-ups that Remedy provided with “Max Payne,” what “Alan Wake” provides is a much more story driven narrative that features its protagonist as a author rather than a bad ass.

Wake has some interesting problems to deal when vacationing in the town of Bright Falls. His wife goes missing, the community is filled with a bunch of weirdos and when the sun goes down, the paranormal arrives. Without giving too much away, the story spans six “episodes” – complete with ending theme songs from an awesome soundtrack – where the tale of what’s going on in Bright Falls slowly unravels. Each episode is filled with its chills and thrills, but the ending may leave you scratching your head. Regardless, “Alan Wake” is one fun romp that is best enjoyed with the lights off.

So where’s the action? Well, good old Alan Wake has his trusty flashlight to fry the baddies of the darkness and a variety of guns to finish them off. That’s the gist of it, and it may sound simplistic in its approach, but when it is quite intense when it gets going. The action scenes with the town’s possessed may get a little repetitive, but remains fun for the most part.

Littered throughout the game are radios, manuscripts pages and TVs that feature special content that drives the plot along and keeps things interesting until you get to the very end. Make sure to check out the “Night Springs” show, which is very Twilight Zone-esque.

Graphically, the game looks elegant with the environments take top billing here. The town of Bright Falls looks magnificent as everything from the mountainous terrains to the shrubbery that surrounds the police station is padded with detail. It definitely helps add to the creepy factor as things fall and appear out of virtually nowhere. The voice acting is also solid and truly lets off a sense of realism to the episodes.

At 7-10 hours, the game isn’t extremely long but there are future episodes planned as downloadable content to keep the plot evolving. If you are a fan of the survival/horror series, “Alan Wake” is a must have for your collection.

Pros

- Excellent pacing and innovative story elements will get non-players involved with the game

- Lots of goodies to search for. Not quite a “sandbox” environment, but enough free exploring to keep you engaged.

- Graphically beautiful. Good games with bad graphics suck. This isn’t one of them.

Cons

- Relatively short.

- Combat sequences can get repetitive

- The ending is somewhat of a letdown compared to the buildup.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Harry Potter. Twilight. Sookie Stackhouse. Percy Jackson & the Olympians. Whether it’s witches, vampires, werewolves, ghosts, fairies or gods, people are obssessed with the supernatural.

And there’s a new crop of series popping up – The Mortal Instruments, Hunger Games and most recently, Beautiful Creatures. The first two have already been bought with plans to bring them to the big screen. I imagine Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl will bring the pages of southern witchcraft in Beautiful Creatures to life soon enough.

Are you over the supernatural or happy to read and see more? What say you?

I have a few USB drives laying around the house, but none of them are as scream worthy as these Cullen Crest USB drives. Not only are they shaped like the Cullen Crest, the contain the soundtrack to the New Moon soundtrack. Tyme Machine, maker of licensed USB drives, partnered with Summit Entertainment and Atlantic Records to the delight of teen-aged girls and Jazzy. The drives are 3″ tall and come in 4Gb at $24.99 to 16gb at $59.99. If you or a loved one is into the Twilight juggernaut, this looks like a worthy addition. The drives are available now on the Tyme Machine website.

Being that it is the holiday season, Tyme Machine is going to give away a Cullen Crest/New Moon Soundtrack drive to one of our readers. So here are the rules:

1. You must be 18 or over to enter.

2. You must live in the US.

3. Leave ONE comment stating whether you are Team Jacob, Team Edward, or that you hope they are both killed by a legion of battle ready lawn gnomes.

4. Comments will be open until tonight, December 21, 2009 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time
(Any comments left after this time will not be included)

5. Winner will be chosen randomly using Random.org on Tuesday.

6. Prize is a 4GB Cullen Crest USB Drive – Estimated value $29.99

Good luck!

Team Twilight, it’s on. First we find out Lykke Li and Death Cab for Cutie made the New Moon playlist, now it gets sweeter. There’s a 2GB collectible flash drive featuring the Cullen family crest and it’s stocked with the soundtrack. It includes at least 15 songs (Thom Yorke and The Killers!) and at $32, you know you want to sink your teeth into it. Pre-order it here.

via Everything USB.

There has been some debate on what the soundtrack to the second film in the “Twilight” series would sound like. The first one sold 2.2 million copies, so the bar’s been set high for the Oct. 20 release.

MySpace released the album tracklist today. I’m pretty geeked to see Lykke Li on the list. Here’s the rest:

1. Death Cab For Cutie – Meet Me On The Equinox
2. Band Of Skulls – Friends
3. Thom Yorke- Hearing Damage
4. Lykke Li – Possibility
5. The Killers – A White Demon Love Song
6. Anya Marina – Satellite Heart
7. Muse – I Belong To You (New Moon Remix)
8. Bon Iver and St. Vincent – Rosyln
9. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Done All Wrong
10. Hurricane Bells – Monsters
11. Sea Wolf – The Violet Hour
12. Ok Go- Shooting The Moon
13. Grizzly Bear – Slow Life
14. Editors – No Sound But The Wind
15. Alexandre Desplat – New Moon (The Meadow)

After the MTV Movie Awards, all anyone could talk about is the pause-worthy moment that went down between Bruno and Eminem. Was the teabag staged or not? But who cares?! There’s a new moon to talk about.

Although MTV went overboard with the “Twilight” lovefest, my inner geek girl is amped about the second movie, “New Moon.” And not enough people are talking about the first glimpse of Jacob as a wolf in the trailer! Check it out.

Book lovers are known for sharing their favorites. But borrowers don’t always bring them back, and since there are no late fees, it’s easy for them to keep them.

Great stories are meant to be shared, but there should be a system in tact to ensure you get them back.

So if you’re tired of loaning out your copy of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight, only to never see it again, The Knock Knock Personal Library Kit might be for you.

Complete with date stamp, self-adhesive envelopes and checkout cards, it allows your book shelf to become the freshest library in your house. For $16, it’s the perfect gift for any bookworm.

Someone leaked 8 of the 15 minutes of Twilight that was screened at a film festival in Rome. Many vids have been taken down, so not sure how long this will last.

The following of this series is comparable to Harry Potter I tell ya.