BLOODY GOOD

Last night I attended the premiere of True Blood's 4th season. HBO did it again, hitting the ground running with some twists that will have your head spinning - in the best way. Alan Ball opened the evening with a standard congratulatory speech, without forgetting to make a Charlie Sheen jab here and there. The list of people to thank was long, every worthy named was mentioned and acknowledged with applause. The time taken for thank-yous reconfirms what I find most incredible about HBO; the content produced is of the same or higher (probably higher) quality of major studios and I have yet to meet a single diva - actor, producer, director, PA, executive, assistant; everyone is equally happy to celebrate the success of their company and share the celebration with every ranking in the Hollywood hierarchy. Maybe the congenial attitude contributes to the productivity of the company and quality of the product?

The screening was followed by an after-party at Fantasia in Hollywood. No doubt the location was chosen as reference to True Blood's resident vampire bar, Fangtasia. The place was cleared out, flooded with red lighting, and freckled with voodoo dolls, candles, crosses, fortune tellers, tarot cards, and traditional southern food. The party eventually moved into an open area filled with tables, each table listing the name of a major star, writer, director, etc. People milled around, networking, socializing, taking some tequila shots passed around on trays. It was quite a scene to be seen.

Watch the new season of HBO's True Blood this Sunday at 9:00pm.