COVER FOR STEFAN’S DIARIES #4: THE RIPPER REVEALED

HarperTeen has revealed the cover of The Ripper, the upcoming fourth book inStefan’s Diaries, based on The Vampire Diaries television series. The book hits the stores on November 8th! Read The Ripper synopsis here.

Pre-Order Stefan’s Diaries: The Ripper:
[USA] [UK]
[Kindle US] [Kindle UK]

OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS FOR THE BIRTHDAY (EP301 – SEASON PREMIERE)

The CW has released the official episode synopsis for The Birthday, the Season 3 premiere of The Vampire Diaries. The show returns Thursday, September 15th!(That’s three weeks, people! Can you believe it?) Highlight for spoilers:

IT’S MY PARTY — On the morning of Elena’s (Nina Dobrev) 18th birthday, Caroline (Candice Accola) is busy planning a party, but Elena is focused on searching for any clues that might help her discover where Stefan (Paul Wesley) is. Damon (Ian Somerhalder) is also searching for Stefan, while trying to protect Elena and keep her from doing anything that would draw Klaus’ (Joseph Morgan) attention. Meanwhile, Klaus and Stefan are busy trailing a werewolf named Ray Sutton (guest star David Gallagher, “Super 8”). Now working at the Mystic Grill along with Matt (Zach Roerig), Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) is struggling to understand why he keeps seeing the ghosts of Vicki (guest star Kayla Ewell) and Anna (guest star Malese Jow) since he was brought back to life by Bonnie’s (Kat Graham) magic. Meanwhile, Alaric (Matt Davis) does his best to watch over Elena and Jeremy, while dealing with his grief over Jenna’s death. Finally, Caroline and Tyler (Michael Trevino) face a new and unexpected challenge.

The episode was directed by John Behring and written by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec.

CHECK OUT THE BIRTHDAY (EP301) EPISODE STILLS HERE.

REVIEW – THE VAMPIRE DIARIES: THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON DVD

This time last year I was reviewing The Vampire Diaries: The Complete First Season on DVD, and now I’m reviewing the second season on DVD. Time certainly seems to fly in this series, right? Unless we’re stuck in the middle of a hiatus, of course.

The following review is based on the UK DVD set. As far as we’re aware, both the DVD and Blu-ray editions in the UK and the US will have the exact same features, so what I’m reviewing will most likely what you’ll be getting regardless of what version you purchase.

SO, ON WITH THE REVIEW!

NEW SEASON PREMIERE STILL FEATURING CAROLINE and TYLER

another peek at The Vampire Diaries Season 3 premiere, The Birthday. Caroline and Tyler seems to be having an intense exchange, no? Vampire Diaries returns September 15th!

JOSEPH MORGAN, DAVID ANDERS and LAUREN COHAN ON MEGACON 2012 MEDIA GUEST LIST

  

MegaCon – “The Southeast’s premier Comic Book, Anime, Sci-Fi/Fantasy and multimedia event” – has announced Vampire Diaries’ own Joseph Morgan, David Anders, and Lauren Cohan as Media Guests for their 2012 event. The convention will take place at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, February 17-19, 2012.

For ticket information, visit the MegaCon website and to keep up on the latest convention news, follow @MegaConvention.

ROLLING STONE BEHIND THE SCENES VIDEO and PHOTOS WITH NINA, PAUL and IAN

Rolling Stone has posted photos and a behind the scenes video from their upcoming feature with Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley, and Ian Somerhalder.

The shoot, which involves the actors leaping off of a platform on to a mattress, may have left Somerhalder “a little bruised,” but Dobrev is into it. “There’s something sort of deadpan and expressionless about it,” she says. “And at the same time, we all feel like rock stars.”

The issue hits stands August 19th. CHECK OUT A SELECTION OF PHOTOS AT ROLLING STONE and watch the BTS below. Thanks to Paul Wesley Web for the heads up!

FIRST LOOK: FIRST OFFICIAL VAMPIRE DIARIES SEASON 3 PROMO SHOT

E!Online has the exclusive first look at the very first Vampire Diaries Season 3 promo shot of Nina Dobrev, Ian Somerhalder, and Paul Wesley.

For a show that thrives on showcasing the dark sides of their characters (Klaus be crazy), seeing the three stars looking so angelic is a bit of a change for us.

SEE THE ENTIRE PHOTO AT E!ONLINE.

STEVEN R. MCQUEEN (FINALLY) JOINS TWITTER

The last Vampire Diaries cast hold-out has finally succumbed to social media’s siren call – everyone welcome Steven R. McQueen to Twitter: @McQueenInChains. The account has been confirmed by both Kat Graham and Matt Davis, so that is the real deal. This means you have ZERO excuse for falling for all those fake McQueen accounts now, you hear? Give him a follow and welcome him to the crazy town of Twitter.

And in other Twitter news, Joseph Morgan’s Twitter account has changed to: @JosephMorgan. (No more underscore!) The name change doesn’t affect his followers, so no need to re-follow him.

WHAT DOES DAMON THINK OF RIPPER STEFAN? IAN SOMERHALDER TALKS ABOUT SEASON 3

Hold on to your hats! We’re heading into the home stretch of the summer hiatus, and it seems like every day is bringing new info about season 3. We’ve seen our first glimpses in the new Season 3 Promo, and now Zap2It brings us some insight from Ian Somerhalder into what’s going on with Stefan, Damon and Elena as the season opens up.

“Damon knows this cycle with his brother,” Somerhalder tells us. “He’s seen it before, totally. He says to Elena, ‘Stefan’s not coming back. Not in your lifetime.’ I mean, she’s young, but human beings only live maybe eighty years. For Stefan and Damon, that’s nothing. Unless Klaus rips their hearts out, they’re going to live for another thousand years.”

Want to know what else Ian has to say about life with -or without- Ripper Stefan? Head on over to Zap2it and find out!

READ THE ENTIRE INTERVIEW AT ZAP2IT

CASTING NEWS: MYSTIC FALLS HAS ITS NEW VAMPIRE HUNTER + EW’S BEHIND THE SCENES PHOTOS

Entertainment Weekly‘s Mandi Bierly has just blogged the news that The Vampire Diaries has cast its new mysterious Season 3 vampire hunter, and – wait for it, Supernatural fans (andGeneral Hospital fans!) – it’s Sebastian Roché (@sebroche on Twitter), who recently had quite the memorable turn inSupernatural as angel Balthazar. Roché will be a recurring guest star…and he sounds like a force to be reckoned with:

Executive producer Julie Plec tells EW Roché will play “a very mysterious man who appears to be hunting vampires, most specifically Klaus.” Mysterious indeed. As Plec explains, “For some reason, Klaus, who shouldn’t be afraid of anybody, seems to be concerned about this person.”

Plec explains the character was originally supposed to be named Eric (you’ll have to read why they’ve changed their mind over at EW.com) but will now be renamed – so he’s “He-Who-Shall-Be-Renamed”, for now.

READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY.

Also, Entertainment Weekly has launched a gallery featuring more behind the scenes photos from the filming of Vampire Diaries’ Season 3 premiere (following up their feature in the print issue). Check them all out at EW.com!

IAN SOMERHALDER TEASES ZAP2IT ABOUT DAMON’S BIRTHDAY GIFT TO ELENA

Elena’s hitting the big one-eight in season 3, and while I’m sure that most of us would be perfectly happy with Damon showing up naked with naught but a few bubbles clinging to him would be gift enough, Damon does in fact have something else up his sleeve for Elena’s 18th birthday present. Ian Somerhalder teased Zap2It’s Carina MacKenzie with some details. Carina says, “The gift will definitely remind us of Stefan’s absence, but we’ll say this about the scene: it’s practically tailor-made to be plastered all over your tumblrs, Damon/Elena fans.”

GET MORE DETAILS OVER AT ZAP2IT.

RIPPING OPEN TVD: STEFAN IS NOT BORING, UNLESS BORING MEANS AWESOME

It’s the summer hiatus – and IT SUCKS. So to help wile away those lonely TVD-less hours as we await Vampire Diaries Season 3, we’ve rounded up a slew of guest bloggers (and hugeVampire Diaries fans) for a series called Ripping Open TVD. Each blogger will be focusing on one particular aspect of what we’ve just experienced in Vampire Diaries Season 2 and adding a hefty dose of Season 3 speculation. Remember: These are guest posts, so these are the opinions of the person writing them, not necessarily Vampire-Diaries.net. Cool? Cool. This week, Carrie Raisler, Vampire Diaries recapper/reviewer extraordinaire at The A.V. Club,takes issue with the “boring” label when it comes to the littlest Salvatore and explains why she thinks this complicated character is about to get even more interesting.

Before I started covering The Vampire Diaries for The A.V. Club last season, I didn’t have much of a gauge on what other people besides myself thought about the show. Sure, I vaguely knew there were Delena and Stelena shippers – as there are in any show featuring a love triangle – but beyond that most of the fandom was a blank slate, which, as a writer, was both a blessing and curse. Once the comments started rolling in on my reviews, however, I got quite a surprise when it comes to one Mr. Stefan Salvatore: a lot of people think he’s boring.

I was bewildered. How did everyone not see the strong and supportive yet slightly warped vamp I did? I do admit, when the show started I was more than skeptical. Having been an almost obsessive fan of Kevin Williamson’s Dawson’s Creek, the Stefan of the early episodes was a bit too close to an undead Dawson Leery for my Pacey-loving taste. But then, something amazing happened. Paul Wesley started to really bring it in his scenes. The writers began to emphasize his dark side a bit more. By the time the Katherine reveal was made in The Turning Point, it was pretty much cemented that Stefan Salvatore is not your run of the mill brooding, sulking vampire. Now, as a card carrying member of the Stefan Salvatore fan club I invented in my mind, I feel it is my duty to explain exactly why he can punch my dance card at a 1800s-themed Mystic Falls party any time.

CONTINUE READING “RIPPING OPEN TVD: STEFAN IS NOT BORING, UNLESS BORING MEANS AWESOME.”

KEVIN WILLIAMSON: DAMON AND ELENA ARE “DEFINING THEIR ROLES”

TVLine caught up with Kevin Williamson at the TCA Press Tour andtalked to him about what’s coming up for Damon and Elena in season three:

“It’s not so much about, ‘Are Damon and Elena going to fall madly in love and live happily ever after?’” says Williamson. “It’s, ‘Are Damon and Elena going to be able to find the man they both love?’ … It’s going to be fun to watch Damon and Elena form this relationship that at its core is about a search for the man they both care about.”

With Stefan gone, Damon and Elena will have to settle into a new dynamic.

“It’s about defining their roles,” says Williamson of the arc. “Are they going to be friends? Lovers? How are they going to define themselves? Because it will be a defining moment for both of them.”

READ THE WHOLE STORY AT TVLINE.

CASTING NEWS: CLAIRE HOLT TO PLAY STEFAN’S EX

Zap2it has confirmed that the role of Bex in season three will be played by Australian actress Claire Holt. You may have seen Claire in the shows Pretty Little Liars and Mean Girls. On the character of Bex:

On “The Vampire Diaries,” we’ll first meet Bex in flashbacks. She’s not going to be just a memory for long, though — she’s never quite moved on from Stefan, and you may be particularly surprised to find out what brings her back into his life.

READ THE WHOLE STORY AT ZAP2IT!

TEEN CHOICE AWARDS CAST PORTRAITS: KAT, NINA, MICHAEL, PAUL and IAN

  
 

THE VAMPIRE DIARIES CAST ON THE TEEN CHOICE AWARDS RED CARPET, AUGUST 7TH

TCA: KEVIN WILLIAMSON DROPS MORE TVD SEASON 3 HINTS

Kevin Williamson fielded a few Vampire Diaries questions during The Secret Circle portion of the Television Critics Association press panel today. Here are some choice snippets via Twitter by attending press:

@VladaGelman: Tyler/Caroline/Matt triangle going to be right alongside Stefan/Elena/Damon.

@TVGuideMagazine: Bonnie will be “front and center” during the new season of #VampireDiaries says Kevin Williamson

@TVDWetpaint: A witch is at the root of the Original families mythology – so Kevin Williamson says Bonnie will be at the center of Season 3.

@LauinLA: And Bonnie’s story is integral to next season of #TVD, she’s at the center of both Jeremy’s story and the Stefan/Klaus/hybrid arc.

@BuzzSugar: #VampireDiaries fans: don’t get your hopes up for a cross over with #TheSecretCircle. Kevin Williamson says it ain’t happenin’

TONIGHT – VAMPIRE DIARIES: KNOW THY ENEMY (EP217 ENCORE) AIRS AT 8/7C

Tonight’s we’re skipping from last week’s The Sacrifice all the way up to episode 17,Know Thy Enemy. The good news: That means we’re getting close to the season three premiere on Thursday, September 15th! The bad news: Anyone watching for the first time will be really confused. (The rest of us can just continue to wonder why it’s not “Know Thine Enemy.”)

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY COMIC CON PORTRAIT OUTTAKE OF PAUL, NINA and IAN

An outtake from Michael Muller’s Comic Con 2011 portrait session with the Vampire Diaries cast is featured in the August 5th issue of Entertainment Weekly (Liam Hemsworth and Josh Hutchinson of The Hunger Games on the cover). You can find the photo of Paul Wesley, Nina Dobrev, and Ian Somerhalder (and a quote from Paul) in The Stars of Comic-Con feature. Pick up the issue now on newsstands. (See the previous photos here and here.)

JULIE PLEC TALKS GHOSTS, FRIENDSHIP and VAMPIRE VACATIONS

Julie Plec may be a master of keeping secrets, but she’s got a lot to tell us (including some hope for Elijah fans!) in this interview from KSite TV. We’ve all been speculating about what Ripper Stefan has been up to, and it looks like we’re not alone.

How did he and Klaus spend their summer vacation?

I think that Klaus and Stefan have been kicking their way through the southwestern states of America, one dive bar at a time.

They’ve been on a little bit of a journey, and we’ll learn a little bit about that. What they’ve been up to. What Klaus wants. Why he wants Stefan to do it with him. And that’s going to be part of the first couple of episodes.

Let’s hope Klaus and Stefan are easier on bartenders than Damon, because otherwise there’s going to be a lot of thirsty people in those southwestern states! Julie also has some tidbits for us about Caroline and Tyler, Jeremy’s ghostly girlfriends and what it is that makes Klaus tick.

READ THE ENTIRE INTERVIEW AT KSITE TV

KAT GRAHAM COVERS FALL 2011 ISSUE OF GLITTER MAGAZINE

PICK UP A COPY OF GLITTER MAGAZINE TO READ THE INTERVIEW.

RIPPING OPEN TVD: KATHERINE HAPPENED

It’s the summer hiatus – and IT SUCKS. So to help wile away those lonely TVD-less hours as we await Vampire Diaries Season 3, we’ve rounded up a slew of guest bloggers (and hugeVampire Diaries fans) for a series called Ripping Open TVD. Each blogger will be focusing on one particular aspect of what we’ve just experienced in Vampire Diaries Season 2 and adding a hefty dose of Season 3 speculation. Remember: These are guest posts, so these are the opinions of the person writing them, not necessarily Vampire-Diaries.net. Cool? Cool. This week, Lucia of Heroine TVlooks back on Season 2′s introduction of Katherine in the flesh and explains why she was such a breath of fresh air in Mystic Falls.

 
After Katherine’s dramatic entrance in Founder’s Day last year, a lot of Vampire Diaries fans could not wait to see more Katherine. “Hello John. Goodbye, John.” STAB! That was certainly a way to make a lasting impression. Previously we had only seen her in flashbacks, but now our Scarlett O’Vampire was ready to move on to mischief making in the present. Look out, 21st Century! With all the anticipation for her character over the summer months, one might assume that her depiction in Season 2 would be a disappointment. Nothing is ever as good as you hope it to be, right? Hype ruins everything, right? WRONG. In the penultimate episode of Season 2, Damon told Katherine, “Somehow you’re the only one who wins.” He asked, “How’d that happen?” Yeah, how did that happen? With Season 2 complete, many fans are even more fascinated by Katherine than before, and she ended up being one of the biggest reasons for my personal love of the show’s sophomore season. Yes, Katherine has fabulous hair and impenetrable eye makeup that can withstand violence and captivity, but there’s more to it. Katherine has really proved herself to be one of the best villains in recent pop-culture history. She has achieved this through a combination of three elements: she is motivated by self-preservation, always plans ahead, and brings a sense of fun to her scenes.

CONTINUE READING “RIPPING OPEN TVD: KATHERINE HAPPENED.”