San Diego Comic-Con just got told by some supernatural creatures and their closest friends from Bon Temps, and we have a complete record of what went down! Below you'll find the minute-by-minute happenings (all are listed in PST) at the "True Blood" panel, which starred Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Nelsan Ellis, Sam Trammell, Rutina Wesley, Deborah Ann Woll, Kristin Bauer van Straten, Denis O'Hare, Joe Manganiello, exec producer Alan Ball, series author Charlaine Harris... and a cardboard cutout of Alexander Skarsgard!
5:28 pm -- We're running a little late, but Tim Stack (our moderator from Entertainment Weekly) just came out on stage to start this bad boy off.
5:30 -- Alan Ball is taking the stage to thank everyone for being here. Ballroom 20 is packed to the brim, people have been here since 11pm last night.
5:30 -- He is introducing a compilation of scenes from the next half of the season, here we go!
5:33 -- Okay, so they showed us A LOT of footage, but biggest thing to come out of it is that Sookie will be attacked by Sophie-Anne enough to leave her in the hospital where she will be sent into an out-of-body experience where she meets some important people! Also, Debbie Pelt will be back for some ass-kicking (best line of the trailer: Sookie to Debbie, "Get out of my house, you bitch!"). And some romance — that we knew was so going to happen — between Sookie and Alcide.
press play below to see the sneak peek trailer!
5:34 -- Here comes the cast!
5:35 -- Can I just say Denis dresses EXACTLY like he does on the show!
5:37 Just brought out an Alexander Skarsgard cardboard cutout, totally stole that from the "Megamind" panel.
5:37-- Anna says Sookie will be kicking some serious ass in the second half of the season.
5:38 -- She adds that we're finding out what the deal with her hands is this season (well duh).
5:39 -- Anna gave her Bill impression again. "Sookeh." Eh, Stephen does it better. Boy his British accent it hot.
5:39 -- Stephen is talking about how Alan never makes them do the same thing twice. So this means no more twisted heads, right?
5:41 -- Curious how they did that sex scene? Marianna had a full body cast made of her to make her head twist around. Too much effort for too much... twistedness?
5:42 -- "Absolutely insane, and fantastic to do!" Stephen said of the scene.
5:44 -- Rutina says she thinks her issues with guys is learned, because she didn't have a dad around.
5:45-- Sam seems to think the dedication to his new-found family is built out of his dedication to his brother, which he says won't end up well.
5:46 -- Denis came up with a whole backstory to Russell, which he says was a "great opportunity for his character to have such an ancient way of thinking."
5:46 -- Despite working with Oprah on an upcoming project, Alan says he doesn't know if she is a fan of the show.
5:47 -- Apparently Snoop Dog wanted to be on the show since the first season. "I loved it, I particularly loved the Sookettes."
5:47 -- Alan says he thinks the Sookettes wore the same wig as the Eric character in the "True Blood" porno.
5:48 -- Kristin says Elizabeth Taylor is a big fan of the show (cameo?!), and Charlaine says Anne Rice is!
5:49 -- Nelsan won't give more dish on him and his new lover, but he is looking forward to seeing the "softer side of Lafayette."
5:50 -- Deborah says she felt like did her job right since everyone loves Hoyt, but we need to wait for Jessica to love herself before she can love someone else.
5:51-- Deborah calls Kristin "Auntie Pam." "How to cut up bodies: Auntie Pam," Kristin quips. "Always here to help."
5:52 -- Tim asks who would Eric choose: Sookie or Pam, and the audience yells out "Pam"! Kristin says he'd take choice C: all of the above. Can we get that scene on tape, please?
5:52 -- Charlaine says she's looking forward to meeting Sookie's great grandfather in the show, and her favorite episode is "I Will Rise Up." "I find something to love in every episode," she says.
5:53 -- Biggest fan reaction as of yet was when Tim calls on Joe. Joe teased, in regards to him always being naked, "You're going to like this week's episode."
5:54-- What are your options when filming a nude scene? Joe says, a sock with a drawstring, plastic-backed thong (which breaks if you're running very fast) or man pantie, or mantie. Basically, you're a Ken doll.
5:54 -- Joe says he would be happy to bring Superman underoos back into fashion, which is his way of saying he'd love to make that Facebook rumor a fact.
5:55 -- Alan's tease of next season, "Everyone goes to therapy... everyone gets very happy."
5:55 -- "There's a character who doesn't know who he or she is," Alan actually teases of season 4, "and maybe someone who has hated this person doesn't hate them so much anymore." CRYPTIC!
5:56-- On which she prefers, doing sex scenes or violent scenes, Anna says, "I prefer to get naked earlier in the day and kill people in the later part of the day especially if things are going to be particularly messy because then you won't have stuff all over yourself for lunch."
5:57 -- Stephen says everyone who did naked scenes (sans Joe and Ryan, who are "physical anomalies") all starved themselves.
5:59 -- A fan asks the cast how they liked working with animals, and Kristin says, "Skarsgard isn't so bad once you get used to him." Love it!
6:00 -- To get the real wolves on set to do what they wanted, the wolf coordinators would make ape noises behind Deborah.
6:00 -- Alan says Hallow will be a big part of season four.
6:00 -- A fan thanks Charlaine for writing the novels. Thank you for saying that! But her question was for Kristin and Nelsan. Oh well.
6:01-- Nelsan says he loves every time he gets to say "bitch."
6:02 -- Alan says the themes of death and loss are always in his work because "oh, it's so much fun!" But in truth, it's because he dealt with death first hand when he was young, and then, he says, "people were just dropping like flies."
6:03 -- When asked which supernatural ability he would pick for himself if he could, Alan says he'd want to be a shifter. Deborah says a witch, because there is a witch coming up, so she wouldn't have to be 17 (or a virgin) forever.
6:04 -- Alan says Franklin does care "in his own twisted way, but unfortunately he's a psychopath."
6:04 -- He won't give up whether the trajectory of Bill and Sookie's relationship will follow the one in the book, but says he believes Bill and Sookie are soulmates, and that the ones on the show are different than the ones in the book. He personally believes things will work out between them.
6:05 -- Charlaine says we should regard the relationships in the show versus books as separate entertainment experiences, because the two will probably end up in different places.
6:06 -- She also says she has known what will happen at the end of the book series for "eight or nine years."
6:07 -- Tara will catch a break at the end of this season, Alan says, "but it won't last."
6:07 -- Rutina says she "likes being unstable."
6:08 -- Alan says he would "love to see the show run as long as it possibly can" but "I don't want to get to the point where we have to explain why vampires are aging." HA!
6:08 -- He adds that he's "enjoying this job more than I've ever enjoyed any job I've ever done."
6:09 -- A fan asks what other vampires they love from pop culture. Alan says "Let The Right One In" and "Near Dark," Denis says "Thirst" because "they were tortured and they had a conscience." Nelsan says "Let The Right One In" as well, and Joe says Kiefer Sutherland in "The Lost Boys." "Wow, no Edward from 'Twilight.' Shocker," Tim says, to boos from the audience.
6:10 -- Alan Ball has not seen "Twilight." No surprise there.
6:11 -- Alan says this Comic-Con experience is "the closest experience I'll ever get to being a rock star, this is his favorite "True Blood" experience.
6:13 -- Joe says his best moment came a few days ago when Alan asked him to become a season regular. Anna follows that with saying she gets to kick someone's ass in "a full on choreographed full on, full on fight" which was "possibly the most fun I've had ever." We're guessing with Debbie, based on that footage.
6:15 -- Alan also thanks Charlaine for creating this world. He says "we are having so much fun, so thank you Charlaine for creating this world and these characters."
6:16 -- The chemistry between Anna and Stephen on stage is so cute. He was being asked a question and she just smiled at him in that way that said "I love you." So freaking adorable. Can Sookie and Eric hook up soon so Sookie and Bill can get back together again? Please? But she needs to hook up with Eric first, obviously.
6:18 -- Stephen says Bill's dark side is "so delicious to do."
6:18 -- Last question! A fan wants to know if Alan will make Appius Godric's maker. Alan says they try to come up with interesting stories, and "I'll consider doing anything as long as it works." As far as Bubba, Alan says he doesn't know how to have Elvis on the show without making him look corny.
6:19 -- Fans suggest Bruce Campbell to play the role, Alan seems to like it.
6:20 -- And that's all folks! We have some exciting "True Blood" interviews coming up in a bit, so there is more "True Blood" excitement to keep you satisfied.
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