Friday, May 08, 2009

True Blood


When I was a kid, I was hooked on fiction and adventure movies. I was a huge Star Wars geek and I loved movies like Labyrinth, The Never Ending Story, and others. Not because I wanted to be them, or live in their world. Simply because I was always floored by the amount of creativity behind the work. My father is a creative art director. He makes a living off of that kind of stuff. I remember sitting on the couch with him when I was about 10 years old, watching Star Wars, when he turned to me and said, "Isn't that amazing Matty? That all this can come out of someone's mind. Isn't it incredible what people can create and think of"

Since then, I'm the guy in the theatre who says "That's incredible!" and makes noises like, "Ugh...wow," way too much. Thanks, Dad.

I have inherited my father's fascination to an even greater degree. Nothing excites me more than when people are truly inventive and creative. Sometimes, it can be as simple as taking an old idea and expanding on it.

Lately I have been catching up on a lot of television that I wasn't able to watch so frequently when I was in the show. I know we now live with the wonders of the DVR, but I can barely even remember to set the damn thing. Even when I do, Time Warner is so terrible it screws it up half the time. Yes, Time Warner, I hate you. You do not deserve my money every month.

Any way, I have gotten hooked on HBO's True Blood...Which is now playing on HB02 until the new season starts. I wanted to be completely caught up. Although I watched several episodes this past year, I missed a great deal of them as well.

I gotta say, I love this show. Now, some people may hate it. It's a lot to take on and a pretty ballsy show. It has gotten me hooked in the same way Jim Henson and George Lucas did back in the day. The creators really don't hold back. If you aren't a fantasy/fiction type, it may be the dopiest thing you've ever seen. I, however, love it. It's extremely entertaining and I'm fascinated by how well the actors take on even the cheesiest of material. The show is set in Louisiana, in a world where vampires have come "out of the coffin" (har har) and are trying to co-exist with humans. It's a simple, perhaps silly plot, that stretches out into an extremely complex world. The show is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries, a book series written by Charlaine Harris. It was a very smart choice to turn the show into a series, rather than a film. There is simply too much story to tell.

While often goofy, gory, and downright ridiculous at times, the show is well crafted and thoughtful. It's just fun. I'd say it's just dumb-fun, but it's not always dumb. I'm actually pleasantly surprised by how smart and creative can be. It has political, social, and moral insight that I would never have expected from a vampire show. Plus, it's created by Alan Ball, who created another favorite of mine, "Six Feet Under." Even, when the show is (completely) over-the-top, it's as if the show's creators are just saying "Isn't this fun?!"

So watch it if it sounds like it may be your cup of tea.

I am looking forward to a fun couple of months ahead of me until I am swept up into work in the fall. I plan to do some traveling back west and maybe even abroad. I haven't been to London since I graduated LAMDA and I've been meaning to use my frequent flyer miles!

I will also be working on a new work at this years National Music Theater Conference at The O'Neill in CT. I am told by everyone that it's like doing a reading and going away to summer camp all at the same time. Sounds good! There are some great actors involved and I am thrilled to have learned that Deborah Abramson (Original Assistant MD of Spring Awakening) will be the musical director of the project. Deborah is an incredible gal and has done so much for me.

Until then, I have to jump into a cab to go to lunch downtown. Which means I have to sit through another painful viewing of Regis and Kelly explaining, "Cabs are so much more fun than they used to be, Right Rege!?" on the taxi TV.

"Faaan-tastic!"

By the way, comments are back up. Inappropriate ones will be deleted...Duh.

57 Comments:

At 3:23 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Can't wait to hear more about this workshop! Keep up the good work.

 
At 3:55 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Good to know that you have work coming up in Fall. I'm sure that whatever you do will be great. Good luck with everything!

 
At 3:59 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Have you read the Charlaine Harris books? I only watched the first two episodes of the show because the tone was so different, but perhaps I should give it another try since I do love Sookie Stackhouse.

I once accidentally elbowed a friend in the face lunging for the off button on that taxi TV. She totally understood.

Looking forward to the work that will sweep you up this fall! :)

 
At 4:07 PM, Blogger Sarah Marie said...

I am a huge fan of fantasy/fiction so I love this series. It is so interesting and I cannot wait for the new season. I am excited to hear more news about your plans for the fall and about the concert that you mentioned last time.
Peace and Love,
Sarah

 
At 4:10 PM, Anonymous Kimmy Pagnotta said...

I HATE those stupid things in the cab with Reggis and Kelly!

 
At 4:13 PM, Blogger Unknown said...

Hey Matt,

I'm glad to see you're doing well. Looking forward to whatever comes next for you.

- Sarah

 
At 4:44 PM, Blogger Rebecca Finkel said...

Matt, I saw you in SA twice and you're so amazing! I can't wait to hear more about your upcoming projects? Bye Bye Birdie?? I'm so excited!! Please have a concert soon!

 
At 4:54 PM, Blogger Shannon said...

Hmm...I tend to stay away from the non-Joss Whedon vampires (from Buffy and Angel), but True Blood does sound pretty interesting. I just might have to check it out! =)

 
At 5:32 PM, Blogger Kate said...

Hi! I'm such a huge fan haha! I saw you twice as Melchior and twice as Hanschen and all performances were spectacular! I love your posts - they are very insightful! Also, cabs are truly hilarious now... I just turn the sound off when I get in.

 
At 7:11 PM, Anonymous Julia said...

Your posts are always so thoughtful and informative with their fair share of hilarity. :) It's great to hear (technically, read) from you and I'm looking forward to your future projects!

P.S. That plot sounds so cheesy I could make a sandwich out of it, but the concept seems quite fascinating!

 
At 8:06 PM, Blogger Corey said...

I'm "that" girl in the theatre all the time. Nothing makes me feel more alive than truly creative, emotional art, which is why I love all the shows and musicians you write about--please keep the recommendations coming!

 
At 9:04 PM, Blogger angiechu said...

aw, True Blood! My friend Daniel and I have been having late evening viewings of this for the past three weeks. I'm glad to hear that you love this show.

I'm looking forward to hear more about you. Keep up the good work and stay healthy :)

~Angela ^-^

 
At 10:18 PM, Anonymous Jessica said...

How funny. As I was reading this, I flipped it over to HBO to see if anything good was on, and True Blood is playing. XD

 
At 10:46 PM, Blogger emily emazing said...

Haha! It's funny you brought up True Blood. I was just having a conversation about it the other day with a friend who, like you, adores the show. I gave it a couple episodes and I couldn't get passed the absolute cheesiness of the plot so I stopped watching it, but everything you said about it makes me want to give it a second shot. I don't have HBO anymore, though, so I'm kind of shit outta luck, however.

 
At 12:00 AM, Anonymous Liz said...

I'm also that girl in the theatre...I'm the most annoying person to see a show with sometimes cause I also go "ohh, the lighting is genius!" or something along those lines.

 
At 1:05 AM, Blogger Katie said...

I'm a fan of True Blood as well, although I'm a fan of vampire stuff in general. I find that the ideas of books written about them are so obscure, but yet truthful at the same time. That may not make sense, but it's late, oh well. The True Blood series is next on my list to read, but right now I'm reading Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series by Laurel K. Hamilton. It's interesting and the plot just keeps getting better and better. I recommend it if you like to read vampire stuff. :)

Can I request more music recommendations? I really enjoy it when you recommend artists because I've found some great artists! So, more please!

Oh and a recommendation for you: Tinted Windows. It's a new band comprised of James Iha (formerly of Smashing Pumpkins & A Perfect Circle), Taylor Hanson (of Hanson), Adam Schlesinger (of Fountains of Wayne) and Bun E. Carlos (drummer of Cheap Trick). The music is great! It is fun, Californian, summer music! I think you'll enjoy it. Something for fun during the summer...
www.tintedwindowsmusic.com
They are my music of the moment...

(Sorry for the long comment, when I write, I tend to just keep going and going...)

 
At 1:41 AM, Blogger Jesse Glass said...

I love you. You're absolutely amazing. You're probably my biggest hero and crush.

Have my babies?

:)

 
At 4:31 AM, Blogger Unknown said...

Hey Matt. You have fans here in the Philippines (where Lea Salonga is from). We are medical students from the University of the Philippines. We watch SA videos to keep us sane through medical school. hahaha. Keep up the good work. Hope to see more of your work soon. =D

 
At 5:27 AM, Anonymous Cheska said...

Hey Matt! I'm Danni's^ classmate. Hahaha. Thank you for introducing me to Paolo Nutini and his kind of music. :) I hope someday I get to see you live.

 
At 11:29 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Saw you on Youtube in Bare the Musical. Your voice is so polished and yet it soars. Thanks for blogging and sharing your life and not being afraid to express real opinions.

 
At 12:35 PM, Anonymous vivian said...

i started reading the true blood books but i lost all my free time but i think i'll start reading again. my lack of cable has forced me to miss the tv series =(

 
At 7:12 PM, Blogger Marketing Know-Nothing said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

 
At 7:16 PM, Blogger Marketing Know-Nothing said...

Yay comments are back. Exciting!

I was a big fan of the Whedon-verse (Buffy and Angel) and so when I first started watching True Blood I couldn't do it. It seemed so off to me. But, there was definitely something oddly alluring and compelling about it. It sort of created it own crazed world, but it was so real that there was just something addicting about it. Sort of like when you read a book and you get so sucked in that you forget where you even are. But, television shows never really do that anymore.

Then, after a short hiatus, I was able to watch the entire series in sequence and I was head over heels addicted. It really is an amazing show... can't wait for Season 2!

And I'm glad comments are enabled again. I hope people don't abuse it.

 
At 8:30 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Nice to see that you've got some free time on your hands again! :)
Yes, Time Warner is pretty awful, as are the overly-cheery Regis and Kelly appearing for the billionth time in yet another NYC taxi. Glad to hear you're back in New York for the time being, though.
Hope all is well with you.
-J

 
At 9:19 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

 
At 10:12 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am glad to see the comments are back up. I cant believe you are doing the conference in CT, I was potentially going to work on it, but then found a job locally (in NYC). Enjoy and cant wait to hear about it!

 
At 10:20 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Aw, good to see your comments are up!

True Blood is so hilariously awesome! I'm playing "catch up" with that show along with Gossip Girl (haven't gotten to your parts yet though! haha... suspenseful), and Weeds (I was a fan pre-SA and never got to see Hunter as Melchi, which made me sad) so I know how hard it is to do. Life leaves so little time for TV!

Anyway, you rock. :)
Hope to be able to see you performing live for the public again sometime soon! You're so talented.

 
At 10:27 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I feel like everyone's milking the vampire thing now though, with Twilight and all. Vampires are suddenly "in". Sounds like an interesting show, but I think I'll stick with The Office.

 
At 10:45 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

vampires trying to mix into the real world, hhmmmmm twilight, much? btw saw u in SA twice, totally luv it. u got talent!! keep it up!! i totally get what you mean about like the annoying person in the theatre. i ALWAYS hav 2 make some nerdy comment about the art directing or the "inner essence of the film" or the lighting or something. btw do you kno anything about the SA movie?

 
At 7:53 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oh hey, comments are up! Wondering what was going on with them, XD

And regarding True Blood, the plot's kind of similar to Twilight... both of them have vampires that live among humans, somebody can mind read, etc. But to everybody commenting about it being a rip off of Twilight, the series that True Blood is based on was published in 2001, Twilight came out in 2005... ;D

Not really a fan of the whole Twilight series, but I'll check out the show anyways, =D

 
At 1:29 PM, Anonymous Katie said...

Hey Matt,

I thought I'd look you up now that the show is over to see what you guys are all up to next, and its cool to hear that you might be coming out to London...

You definitely will not remember this, but back in September I met you and Gerard at the stage door after my boyfriend and I came to see the show, and because I am from London, you started telling me about your time at LAMDA, (weirdly enough I've been shortlisted for a Post-grad place there too, and Im waiting to hear if I've got it), and you were saying how much you miss it. If you come over, you should make sure you check out the London cast of SA, they're phenomenal and really do you Broadway guys proud.

Glad to hear that everything is going well for you, and on a side note, my friend living in the US totally got me hooked on True Blood, its amazing! Im having to watch it online though, seeing as its not out in England yet.

Take care

 
At 3:42 PM, Anonymous MichelleS said...

Hey Matt!
I'm so glad comments are back up! I've wanted to thank you for all the great music recommendations. Jamie Lidell and Janelle Monae played a show together out here in LA and it was FANTABULOUS! So, keep the great music tips coming! Also, congrats on such a great run w/ SA! I finally got to see your Melchior in Toronto and I'm so happy I did! You're amazingness on 2 legs. :) Anyway... glad you're keeping busy and I look forward to your future projects!

 
At 7:12 PM, Blogger Rozzie said...

I don't think I'd ever heard of this show until now. Are there episodes online? I think I might try it out...

 
At 8:15 PM, Blogger Ali said...

Alan Ball = my hero.
I'm dying waiting for the new season to start.

 
At 9:09 AM, Anonymous Matt C said...

Come to London... You know you want to!!!

 
At 10:21 AM, Anonymous John. said...

True Blood is a great show!

I really wasn't sure at first, even down to the opening credits...they were so different from what we're used to with vampire themed shows/films, let alone on tv...but it grows on you, the premise of the world and how abnormally normal it is.

The cast is really strong, and you get sucked in (excuse the pun). Can't wait till they properly air it on UK tv soon, I'll watch it again whilst watching the new series online I feel :)

p.s Matt, have you heard of Nerina Pallot? Her 'Fires' album is fantastic and you should definitely give it a listen if you haven't already!

Keep up with the updates :) x

 
At 12:23 AM, Blogger Liz said...

You know that you can turn those video screens in the back of cabs off, right? :)

Happy Birthday, Matt. Hope it's a wonderful year for you.

 
At 12:32 AM, Blogger Meranda M. said...

Happy Birthday Matt!
Hope its a good one.
<333.

 
At 1:16 AM, Anonymous Lizzy K said...

I hate those cab videos too! I do like the "Ask the locals" videos though!

Love reading the blogs! I find them amusing! You've got a good sense of humor!

Happy Birthday! Hope to see ya soon!

 
At 1:40 AM, Blogger Unknown said...

Happy Birthday!

 
At 4:31 AM, Blogger blissbubbles said...

hey, happy birthday! :)

 
At 5:12 AM, Anonymous Mary said...

hahah I'm glad to see you are catching up on things these days since you have some spare time. if true blood is anything like Interview with a Vampire... i'm pretty sure i would think it was the greatest thing lol.

keep us posted about the workshop.
<3

 
At 10:49 AM, Blogger Rozzie said...

happy birthday?

 
At 4:28 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Happy birthday Matt! Hope you have a fun celebration today.

 
At 4:28 PM, Anonymous Rob said...

Congrats on all the good things coming up for you, Matt!

Also, have a happy birthday! :]

--Rob.

 
At 5:50 PM, Blogger Rebecca Finkel said...

ok not to be annoying considering i already commented on this but..
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MATT!
have a good one ;)

 
At 5:51 PM, Anonymous Mary said...

Happy Birthday also!! i totally forgot lol! <3

 
At 5:53 PM, Blogger Shannon said...

Happy birthday, Matt! Hope it's a great one! =)

 
At 7:34 PM, Anonymous Olivia said...

This has nothing to do with your post, but happy 22nd birthday! And many more =]

 
At 8:15 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Happy birthday Matt!!!

 
At 9:56 PM, Blogger Kristen said...

Happy birthday (apparently)! haha.

Mine's Fridaaaaaay! High five for May-babies!

 
At 4:59 AM, Anonymous falcon82 said...

Great show True Blood, just a little too "metaphorical" sometimes, almost didactic, and it's not always good

 
At 11:54 PM, Blogger ShaunaLynn said...

yes please keep us informed! I have to say that I have yet to see True Blood, and I'm currently catching up on Gossip Girl (except when itunes corrupts my files but that's another story)

Hope all is well with you!!!! Embrace the warmth because we're sweating just as much here in florida!

 
At 8:29 PM, Anonymous Casey said...

if you like scary/scifi tv shows, go watch Supernatural. It's amazing. it's so weird not being able to see spring awakening anymore. I walk by the theatre all the time when I go to my acting class on Times Square and it makes me really sad to think that you guys aren't there anymore :[

 
At 9:36 PM, Blogger Shannon said...

I watched the first couple episodes yesterday. I actually really really enjoyed them! I like how it sticks to the basic vamp folklore and a classic plot, but adds lots of new twists. Thanks for the recommendation, Matt!

This is my third time commenting on this entry. You must be sick of me by now. =P

 
At 7:13 PM, Anonymous Jen said...

This is a really old post, but I just thought you should know that I am now addicted to this show, and f***ing pumped for the new season. Thank you.

;)

 
At 11:42 AM, Blogger VampLestat said...

I have to agree with you on True Blood! It has become one of my all time favorite shows! At first, I thought it was a bit disappointing because I was expecting more. Plus, the southern drawl was not appealing to me with vampires.

On season 1, I kept saying, "It's aaaiiight! It's not all that!" But I found myself watching it all the time. I love the characters and the story. So now i admit that I do love the show.

Right now, my top favorite shows are True Blood, Heroes, Merlin, Nurse Jackie, and Weeds. I was really disappointed with Heroes this season. The beginning of the season was off the hook, I was siked and all. As it progressed, I was getting more disappointed with the episodes. I really love the show, but if they start losing viewers, I'd understand.

Stay true, "True Blood!"

 

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