Friday, June 27, 2014

How Does Paul Wesley Think The Vampire Diaries Will End?

In the TV business, it’s the showrunner’s job — with his or her creative team — to manage the direction of their show. This means coming up with twists, developing characters, and, when the time comes, helping to create an amazing series finale that will leave fans happy. We’re sure Julie Plec has an idea for how The Vampire Diaries should end, but Paul Wesley (Stefan Salvatore) definitely does!
“This is my own personal thing,” Paul revealed on Huffington Post Live. “I think the [series] finale of The Vampire Diaries, whenever that may be, is that Damon and Stefan will compel Elena to forget everything that ever happened and she goes back to being a human and they walk off into the sunset, take off their [daylight] rings, and burn.”
Wow, we have to hand it to Paul. Not only is that a fitting end, but it’s pretty dang poignant. Stefan and Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder) have put Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev) through quite a lot during the past five seasons and if she could forget everything and get her human life back, it would be all for naught. The only problem is that, once Elena gets to looking around, she might realize that basically her entire family is dead and most of her friends are still supernatural.
We’d love to hear what Julie thinks about Paul’s input — she must really care what he thinks considering he was able to direct a Season 5 episode and he’s slated to go behind the camera in Season 6 as well. Paul is certainly on his way to having more creative control over the show, though we hope Julie “Queen of The CW” Plec sticks around for the long haul.

No, Vampire Diaries Star Steven R. McQueen Isn't Arrow's Nightwing — Yet

For those Vampire Diaries fans hoping Steven R. McQueen (Jeremy Gilbert) might make his way over to Arrow as comic book character Nightwing, keep hoping. According to Zap2it, Steven has admitted that, thus far, he has not been offered the role of Nightwing, despite active campaigning on his part. Read on to find out more!
It’s no secret that Steven wants to play Nightwing. After reading the comic books last year and becoming a huge fan of CW show Arrow (who isn’t?), Steven made several moves to express his extreme interest in filling the iconic role. Not only has Steven posted multiple photos of his “Nightwing training,” he’s also attended a hockey game with Arrow star Stephen Amell and met with the Arrow writers. “Had some superhero conversations with the executives this weekend @ARROWwriters,” he tweeted in November, along with a photo from the writers’ room.
Now, just because Steven hasn’t been cast, doesn’t mean he won’t. As far as we know, no one has been cast as Nightwing on the superhero show. The show might not even choose to bring the character into its TV world. On the other hand, there has been some speculation that a new, major recurring character for Season 3 that has been announced could be Nightwing. TVLine reports that Arrow is looking to cast “Daniel,” “a handsome, enigmatic and highly intelligent entrepreneur developing groundbreaking technology” who is confident in public, but “privately harbors a tragic past that will drive him to become a tech-powered superhero.” Could this be Nightwing? Probably not — speculation seems to lean toward Daniel being The Blue Beetle — but one never does know. Right now, we’re keeping the hope alive that Steven still has a chance at filling his dream role.

Thursday, June 26, 2014

What Crazy Thing Did Candice Accola Do With Fiancé Joe King?

Candice Accola (Caroline Forbes) is one crazy kid. What did the Vampire Diaries actress and fiancé Joe King recently do because life called? Read on to find out!
“When life calls, sometimes you gotta jump in to the freezing cold water with all your clothes on,” Candice captioned the WhoSay photo of herself and Joe taking a spontaneous plunge off of a dock into what were apparently cold waters. Did we mention Candice is fully clothed? That one has a wild streak in her — just like on-screen counterpart Caroline Forbes. And we love them both for it!
Candice has used the break from filming TVD to spend a lot of time with Joe, who has his own busy schedule as the guitarist for The Fray. In April, just following production break, Candice and Joe traveled to Hawaii where they engaged in plenty of kayaking, surfing, and other forms of fun in the sun. Candice also took the time off from filming to treat her bridal party to a weekend away in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The friends, including TVD co-star Kayla Ewell (Vicki Donovan), wore floral crowns and/or “Bride”/”Bridesmaid” t-shirts and looked to be having a lot of fun.
Though Candice and Joe will tie the knot in 2014, they haven’t revealed the exact date — though we do know that the couple will marry in New Orleans. Last year, Candice told Craig Ferguson: “We both just really love the city. And [Joe]’s always on the road and I’m always traveling, so we figured why not make it a destination for everyone.” We can’t wait!

See Kat Graham in the Trailer For Addicted!

Our resident triple threat is at it again! Vampire Diaries star Kat Graham (Bonnie Bennett) is putting her acting chops to the test in her new film, Addicted — and she’s got some all-star company.
Fandango has the trailer for the upcoming drama based on the best-selling novel by erotic fiction author Zane. Here’s a little synopsis of what you can expect from the film, described by IMDb as a “provocative thriller about desire and the dangers of indiscretion”:
“Successful businesswoman Zoe Reynard (Sharon Leal) appears to have attained it all — the dream husband she loves (Boris Kodjoe), two wonderful children, and a flourishing career. As perfect as everything appears from the outside, Zoe is still drawn to temptations she cannot escape or resist. As she pursues a secretive life, Zoe finds herself risking it all when she heads down a perilous path she may not survive.”
In addition to Kat, Sharon, and Boris, this cast is rounded out with some of the biggest names in the business today, including William Levy, Tasha Smith, Maria Howell, Garrett Hines, Emayatzy Corinealdi, and Tyson Beckford. If that’s not an all-star cast, we don’t know what is.
As for Kat’s character, Diamond, we don’t know too much about her;  we admittedly didn’t read the book. But the 24-year-old actress does have one scene-stealing moment in the trailer in which she tells someone (probably Sharon’s character), “A bit of advice: Be careful.”
Judging by the drama of this trailer, this film will be one wild ride. Hopefully there’s more of Kat than what we’ve been shown, but even if there isn’t you’ll definitely want to buckle up for this intense movie.

Don’t miss Addicted when it hits theaters on October 10, 2014!

Vampire Diaries Star Steven R. McQueen Opens Up About His Famous Grandfather

Vampire Diaries star Steven R. McQueen (Jeremy Gilbert) is the grandson of one of the most famous film actors of all time: the eminently-cool Steve McQueen, star of such cinematic classics as The Great Escape, The Magnificent Seven, and The Thomas Crown Affair. Spike TV has created a TV documentary in tribute to Steve McQueen and The Wrap talked to Steven about his thoughts and feelings on the film about the grandfather he never met.
“I saw the documentary for the first time last night. It was incredible,” McQueen said of new TV film I Am Steve McQueen. “I never got to meet my grandfather and I'm sure the younger audiences don't know much about him. So, it was cool for myself to learn about him, and hopefully some people that watch.”
When Steven was small, he didn’t really understand just how much of a legend his grandfather was — for example, at one point, Steve McQueen was the highest paid actor in Hollywood — but eventually started to understand just how cool he was by watching his films. In fact, watching his grandfather on film was a chief inspiration for Steven  in becoming an actor himself: “There were always posters and stuff around the house, but I never really payed much attention to it and I started watching his movies and I was like: Wow. This guy’s pretty cool. Maybe I want to give this a shot. Give this a try. And, yeah, I’ve been lucky ever since.”
Steven’s dad was one of the forces behind the production of the doc, and appears in the movie itself, which was one of Steven’s favorite parts of watching the film: “It was cool to see younger pictures of my dad with his dad and to kind of hear some of the stories that I had absolutely never heard before. And hear some stories from my grandmother and just other people whose life he had effected or touched. It was really cool.”
Many famous actors of today took part in the documentary by speaking about what kind of impact Steve McQueen has had on them. It was particularly cool for Steven to see one of his own acting idols Gary Oldman take part: “I've always looked up to Gary Oldman,” Steve said. “He's always been one of my favorite actors since I can't even remember when. I went the day that they interviewed him and I was in awe, just kind of listening to him speak and getting to shake his hand. It was an incredible experience. I was overwhelmed.”

Ian Somerhalder Is the Busiest Man in D.C. — See What He's Doing Now!

Ian Somerhalder may be off from filming The Vampire Diaries right now, but that doesn’t mean he’s off the clock. He’s been using his production break to travel the world to raise awareness about the social and environmental issues that mean the most to him. What is he up to right now? Read on to find out!
Ian was just in Washington D.C. to testify in front of Congress about the international ivory trade and how it is decimating the world’s elephant population. He shared this Instagram photo, along with the caption: “Wow. My Testimony: Before the U.S House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs Regarding the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Plan to Implement a Ban on the Commercial Trade in Elephant Ivory and the Consequences of that Policy. I will do my absolute best-you'll be there with me in that room on Capitol Hill. You give me so much strength, you inspire me to do more, not sleep and forge the future with you for us all. Wish me LUCK! PLEASE!”
The campaign to ban the international ivory trade is one close to Ian’s heart. He tweeted angrily about it last week, and his non-profit, the Ian Somerhalder Foundation, has an entire page devoted to educating others on the dangers of the ivory trade, stating: “The threat to the African elephant presented by the ivory trade is unique to the species. Larger, long-lived, slow-breeding animals, like the elephant, are more susceptible to overhunting than other animals. They cannot hide, and it takes many years for an elephant to grow and reproduce...While elephant populations are increasing in parts of southern and eastern Africa, other African nations report a decrease of their elephant populations by as much as two-thirds.”

When Does The Vampire Diaries Season 6 Premiere?

We had speculated that The Vampire Diaries would return with Season 6 sometime in October, but thanks to a press release from The CW we now have an official premiere date for our favorite supernatural series. So when does Season 6 premiere? Read on to find out!
Mark your calendars for 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, October 2, everyone! That’s the day that The Vampire Diaries and Reign will return to put your DVR on double-duty. The CW loved this Thursday night pairing so much that they’ve decided to bring back this two-hour block for another TV season — and we don’t have any problem with that.
The Vampire Diaries was renewed for Season 6 back in February and wrapped up its intense Season 5 run on May 15. In the final moments of Season 5, both Bonnie Bennett (Kat Graham) and Damon Salvatore’s (Ian Somerhalder) lives were hanging in the balance. They had gotten trapped on the Other Side just before its collapse and were holding hands as a white light overtook them — while Birdy’s tear-worthy “Wings” played in the background. There had been a lot of speculation about whether or not the characters would be back for Season 6, but we now know that they certainly will, though to what extent remains a mystery.

Monday, June 23, 2014

Kat Graham on Working With UNHCR: Love Is Important

Vampire Diaries star Kat Graham isn’t just a stellar actress — she’s a stellar humanitarian. The TVDer is very involved with the UN Refugee Agency, and is hoping to raise awareness of the millions of refugees displaced around the world. What did she tell Access Hollywood about what she’s learned through working with UNHCR?
“There were so many different things when you experience something like that,” Kat said of her recent trip to Jordan’s Zaatari Refugee Camp where more than 100,000 refugees live. While there, Kat got to see what the UNHCR does, how their food program works, and talked with a man who works in one of the camp’s six medical facilities. “A lot of it is humility, you know, we’re so fortunate to be here and to have this incredible life here in Hollywood, but it really showed underneath it all family is really important, love is really important, being there for each other is really important.”
In honor of World Refugee Day, which is today, Kat hopes that people will take the time to visit the UNHCR website and think about the ways in which they might be able to help the millions displaced around the world.
Though Kat revealed that it was her mother who first helped her get in contact with the UNHCR, she also credits the success of TVD in enabling her to make a difference: “It’s just been so great, to be a part of something that’s bigger than you and makes you feel like it’s all worth it — and Vampire Diaries has just totally opened the door for all that for me, so I’m happy.”

Delena Is Nominated For "Ship of the Year" at the mtvU Fandom Awards

Get your cursors ready, Delena fans! The Vampire Diaries couple has been nominated for “Ship of the Year” at the mtvU Fandom Awards, and the competition is tough. Who else is nominated and what exactly are the mtvU Fandom Awards? Read on to find out!
The first-ever mtvU Fandom Awards will pit fandoms against one another in an online-voting tournament that will end with an awards ceremony at San Diego Comic Con in July to be broadcast on Sunday, July 27.  A few days prior, both MTV and mtvU will air an hour-long special devoted to fandom, featuring Linkin Park. Curiouser and curiouser…
TVD’s Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder) and Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev) have been nominated for “Ship of the Year” alongside:
— Catching Fire’s Everlark (Katniss and Peeta)
— Sherlock’s Johnlock (John and Sherlock)
— Supernatural’s Destiel (Dean and Castiel)
— Teen Wolf’s Sterek (Stiles and Derek)
So, yeah. Pretty stiff competition. Will our vampire lovers prevail? Only time (and online voters) will tell. Other categories include “Fandom Feat of the Year” and “Best Fandom Forever,” the voting for the latter of which will be conducted on Tumblr rather than the official mtvU site.
The mtvU Fandom Awards have been met with some criticism from the fandom world. Critics disapprove of the antagonistic structure of the awards, arguing that the tournament pits fandoms against one another unnecessarily. Some see it as an attempt to capitalize on an online fandom community that largely runs on passion rather than payment a la Amazon Worlds. Still, there are many who are excited at the prospect of fandom culture recognition with such a mainstream event. It will be interesting to see how the mtvU Fandom Awards fare. Will this be a blip in the history of fandom — or will it become a much-beloved annual tradition?

Friday, June 20, 2014

Ian Somerhalder and Nina Dobrev Nominated For 2014 Teen Choice Awards

Ian Somerhalder (Damon) and Nina Dobrev (Elena) might not be dating anymore, but they do have a habit of getting nominated for Teen Choice Awards together! The Vampire Diaries hotties have once again been nominated for Choice TV Actor and Choice TV Actress in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy genre for the 2014 edition of the awards.
Nina’s got her work cut out for her, going up against co-star Kat Graham (Bonnie) and former co-star and former Originals star Claire Holt (Rebekah), while Once Upon a Time’s Ginnifer Goodwin (Snow White) and Beauty and the Beast’s Kristin Kreuk (Catherine) also snagged noms.
As for Ian’s category, he’s got some stiff competition as well. The 35-year-old actor is nominated against TVD co-star Paul Wesley (Stefan), former co-star and current Originals star Joseph Morgan (Klaus), Once Upon a Time’s Josh Dallas (Prince Charming), and Teen Wolf’s Tyler Posey.
Ian and Nina definitely share their categories with some excellent actors and actresses, but since Ian has won this same award three times and Nina has taken home the trophy four times, we think they’ve got it in the bag.
The 2014 Teen Choice Awards air on Sunday, August 10, at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.

Ian Somerhalder Is Exhausted — It's Hard Work Being That Handsome

Ian Somerhalder may just be the hardest working man in Hollywood — and he’s not even shooting The Vampire Diaries right now. We’re referring, of course, to Ian’s philanthropy and activist work. The actor has been jetsetting around the world since TVD wrapped filming in April, and it’s finally catching up to him. Check out his recent Instagram...
“Flattened... Jet lag of two months of movement,” Ian captioned a photo of himself lying exhausted on the ground. “On the floor of my Atlanta office-staring blankly at the ceiling, motionless;) Wow. Hyperbaric time. Need to prep another congressional testimony for next week testifying in Washington on international species conservation. Give me some strength world-shoot it my way! Thank you!” And to think, this was how Ian finished TVD filming in April: taking a nap in his office. At least, then, he was on a couch!
Ian has had a pretty busy summer. Earlier this month, he was designated a UNEP Goodwill Ambassador in Barbados. Though he may be tired from his hectic lifestyle, he seems to genuinely love it. While in Barbados, he shared this photo, along with the caption: “In Parliament in Barbados about to walk into a room with heads of state and the United Nations Environment Program to make my designation speech as UNEP Goodwill Ambassador. Wow. So surreal... Thank you all for standing here today with me- your voice is so loud. Your compassion so powerful. Thank you- now let's make so [sic] serious shit happen. Lets make sure everyone around you know climate change is real.”
Though Ian has many causes, the battle to combat climate change and to raise awareness of the serious issue seems to be his main focus right now. In addition to his work with UNEP, Ian has spent some time promoting the Showtime series Years of Living Dangerously, which highlights how different parts of the world have been affected by climate change. Ian appeared as one of the program’s  “celebrity investigators,” traveling to North Carolina to try to help persuade the Evangelical community there to join the fight against climate change.
Yep, saving the world is tiring work, but Ian Somerhalder sure does make it look sexy.

The Vampire Diaries Season 6 Spoilers Roundup — Everything We Know So Far

We may yet be a few months away from the Season 6 premiere of our beloved The Vampire Diaries, but that doesn’t mean we don’t already have clues about what the upcoming season will bring. Here is what we know so far about TVD Season 6.
The entire cast is returning. Don’t worry, friends. Every one of the main cast members will be back for Season 6, including Ian Somerhalder (Damon) and Kat Graham (Bonnie). Joining the main cast:  Matt Davis as sexy history teacher/vampire Alaric Saltzman and Michael Malarkey as vampire and rugby-aficionado Enzo. We’re pretty excited about these developments.
There will be a substantial time jump. Season 6 of TVD will pick up at least several months after the end of Season 5. Though we don’t have details on how much time will have passed, we know it will be a “substantial time jump” and will find our characters starting over in a variety of ways. Julie Plec told The Hollywood Reporter "The way we look at it, Season 6 is a beautiful and organic reset. The theme of the season is everybody gets to start over. That's what we're going to do.”
Where are Bonnie and Damon? Though we know Bonnie and Damon will be back for Season 6, we’re not sure how or where, and Julie Plec isn’t giving us any answers. She told Entertainment Weekly, “I think the ending of the episode is meant to be left up deliberately for speculation of what exactly did happen to [Damon and Bonnie]. I can say for certain the Other Side is gone for good, and I can say for certain that when the Other Side disappeared for good that they had already been dealt with — whether it’s through finding peace or other means. Outside of that [laughs], I think I’ll let the speculation blow around for a little while longer.”
Mystic Falls is magic-free. Mystic Falls without magic almost seems unnatural at this point, but that’s the deal in Season 6. The Traveler spell that cleared the town of magic is still in effect, which means that no vampires, werewolves, hybrids, etc. can cross into the town without dying. (Sorry, almost every character on this show. You can’t go home.) Also: the Gilbert Ring no longer works. Bummer.
A journey back to each other. According to the leaked promotional poster: “Season six will be the story of their battle between good and evil within themselves, and their journey back to each other to reclaim their home.” Does this mean that Bonnie and Damon will be making their way back to their loved ones? Or will Elena and the gang also be aware that Bonnie and Damon are still alive(ish?) and be putting in some effort on their end, too? Either way, we’re totally on board with this epic theme.
Steroline will be explored. Look for Steroline to be put on the front burner in Season 6, but that doesn’t mean Caroline knows what the heck she feels for Stefan. According to Caroline Dries: “The feelings behind the feelings are something we get to explore in season 6 as we watch how her relationship with Stefan plays out in the wake of the finale. Caroline also thinks that “she’s not quite sure what she’s feeling” and there’s a lot of “grey area” in the Steroline relationship.
Stelena is “settled.” There’s less grey area in the Stelena relationship, which continues to be comfortable following the chat Stefan and Elena had about their friendship last season. According to Nina Dobrev, "If you look back to Season 1, it's been very hectic for her and it's nice [for her and Stefan] to be in a settled place." Although, she also admitted that it would be “awkward” for Elena should Stefan and Caroline start dating.
Enzo is a “loose canon.” Enzo is back from the dead, and he is just as unpredictable as ever. This time, however, he’ll have Alaric to interact with, and it doesn’t sound like the two are getting along swimmingly. “Enzo, as we left him, is still a bit of a loose cannon wild thing and I can’t wait until the two [he and Alaric] butt heads – and I’m sure they will,” Caroline Dries teased. “Let’s see, wish list — feels like there could be a bar brawl in their future. Or maybe they’ll just karaoke compete against each other.”
Matt is in a “very fresh place.” Matty Blue Eyes is back and he’s loving living in a magic-free Mystic Falls. According to Caroline Dries, “Matt has been victimized so much in the show as a result of being human in a vampire-run world, so we’re excited to give him his version of a ‘human’ world, especially now that he’s grown up so much, developed opinions and beliefs and has really come into his own.” Also, look for Matt to potentially be suiting up for the Mystic Falls P.D.
Stefan is a changed vampire. Losing Damon predictably did a number on Stefan. "It's really a character-defining journey for [Stefan], and it'll change him quite a lot," Julie Plec told TV Guide. "At what point does he decide to give up or keep searching for answers?” Yikes! Sounds like Stefan isn’t doing so well.
Everyone will have “come to terms” with the deaths. Given the time jump, we will find these characters moved on from Bonnie and Damon’s apparent deaths in some way. According to Julie Plec, “A good amount of time would have passed. Our characters fundamentally will have had to come to terms with the fact that Damon and Bonnie are gone forever. There are those who refuse to give up. There are those who have given up. There are those who are living in denial. All of them have found ways to move forward and get on with their lives in really unique and distinct ways.”
Tyler is human and potentially finding love. Tyler’s central struggle in Season 6 will be to keep from triggering his werewolf gene — again. This means he will have to control the rage that comes with having the werewolf gene. Perhaps a potential new love interest will help? Julie Plec told The Hollywood Reporter, “It's time for him to find somebody new to love, because one thing that can help us with the darkest parts inside ourselves is the light of love, so I'm looking forward to exploring that with him.” Us, too.
Alaric is back and helping Elena deal. Though Elena may be struggling to deal with life without Damon in Season 6, she does have support in the form of Alaric, who is back from the dead. According to Julie Plec, “He's going to be there for her as a friend and as emotional support. But also now he has to come to terms with what it's like to live life as a secret vampire. So she has something to teach him too. The Elena and Alaric friendship is something we're really looking forward to next year and I'm super excited to have Matt back. He's not only a fan favorite, but a cast favorite.”
Forwood friendship. Speaking of friendship, it sounds like Caroline and Tyler will finally be in a good place again as friends. According to Julie Plec, “We can officially say that Caroline and Tyler have reached a point where they genuinely and legitimately care about each other and have found their way back to being friends, but are no longer a couple.”
Catch the Season 6 premiere of The Vampire Diaries this fall on The CW.

Ian Somerhalder Lashes Out: "This Is Bulls—t!" — What's He Talking About?

Ian Somerhalder is pissed — and understandably so. What has the Vampire Diaries actor taking to Twitter in fury? Read on to find out!
“YOUNG PEOPLE! TELL YOUR PARENTS THIS IS BULLS—T! A MAGNIFICENT CREATURE KILLED?! FOR WHAT?! RIP YOU AMAZING CREATURE!!” Ian tweeted earlier this week, along with a link to the CNN article reporting the death of Satao, a beloved 45-year-old elephant killed for his tusks earlier this month. Satao, who lived in Kenya’s Tsavo National Park, was found dead from poison arrows with two massive holes where his tusks — which were so large they touched the ground — used to be.
Tusks are worth thousands of dollars in the illegal ivory trade that has doubled internationally since 2007, according to CNN. An estimated 30,000 elephants are killed annually for their tusks in recent years. The United States is one of the top markets for ivory, along with China, Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam. The state of New York is currently discussing a bill that would ban nearly all ivory sales. New York is the country’s largest importer of ivory, and supporters hope the legislation will encourage similar laws elsewhere.
This cause is one close to Ian’s heart. His non-profit, the Ian Somerhalder Foundation, has a page devoted to educating others on the dangers of the ivory trade, stating: “The threat to the African elephant presented by the ivory trade is unique to the species. Larger, long-lived, slow-breeding animals, like the elephant, are more susceptible to overhunting than other animals. They cannot hide, and it takes many years for an elephant to grow and reproduce...While elephant populations are increasing in parts of southern and eastern Africa, other African nations report a decrease of their elephant populations by as much as two-thirds.”
We’re glad to know that Ian is spreading awareness about this devastating issue!

The Vampire Diaries season 6: what if Damon came back as a human?

We know that Ian Somerhalder will be back as Damon Salvatore in Season 6 of The Vampire Diaries, but we’re not sure what that return will look like. Grams claimed that she had made some sort of deal so that Bonnie would not lose her life in the collapse of the Other Side, and we think Damon piggybacked on that loophole, but what does that even mean? Is there a chance Damon could come back as a human and, if so, what would that look like? We speculate below.
It was considered before. Did you know that, at one point, the TVD Powers That Be planned to have Damon be the one who took the vampirism cure? They changed their mind midway through the season, in part because many fans predicted that it would be Damon, the character who seems to enjoy being a vampire the most, who would revert to his humanity. We think this plot twist still has power, and we’re more inclined to believe it’s possible given that the TVD crew has considered it before.
Season 6 is an “organic reset.” Much of the terminology being used by the TVD writers about the sixth season is of the rebirth. Julie Plec told The Hollywood Reporter "The way we look at it, Season 6 is a beautiful and organic reset. The theme of the season is everybody gets to start over. That's what we're going to do.” Now, we may be reading too much into this, but it doesn’t take a lot of mental energy to jump from “organic reset” to Damon returning as a human. That is literally an organic reset.
It would be a new and interesting path for his character. It’s no secret that we had some qualms with the inconsistent direction of Damon’s character in Season 5. It felt a bit like TVD didn’t know what to do with him, so they recycled an earlier storyline (in this case, Damon’s serial killing) for dramatic value. Unfortunately, it didn’t really fit into Damon’s arc as a character — at least in our opinions. Watching Damon struggle (or not) to accept his newfound humanity would be super interesting. Heck, it made Katherine’s character the most consistently relatable she had ever been. Damon’s character could use some of that relatability given some of his choices in the last season.
It would complicate his relationship with Elena. A human Damon would also give the Delena relationship a compelling dilemma with which to deal. The show struggled with this in the last season, as well. Understandably eager to throw some drama into the Delena relationship before fans got bored, TVD made Damon a serial killer again, had Katherine steal Elena’s body and seduce Stefan, and had them hash out the old “I’m not good for you, Elena” argument from seasons past. It would be refreshing to see these two grappling with a more complex, nuanced issue, such as Damon’s humanity and what it might mean for their future together.

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

'Vampire Diaries' Season 6 Spoilers: Actor Michael Trevino Talks about Tyler's Future as a Human, the Werewolf Gene and

Tyler Lockwood is one of "The Vampire Diaries" characters given another chance to live in Mystic Falls after returning from the Other Side. Actor Michael Trevino, who portrays Tyler in the CW TV series, teased the fans about the character's future in "The Vampire Diaries" Season 6.

Trevino, 29, shared in the Zap2it report that "The Vampire Diaries" Season 6 will be a new world for Tyler Lockwood because he is a human being again. The actor added that the reset will be exciting but scary for Tyler since he must find ways to protect himself in the supernatural world of Mystic Falls after being stripped of his hybrid abilities.

"But it's also nice because now, maybe he won't have to deal with all the extracurriculars that come with being a hybrid or being a werewolf or being a vampire. It will be interesting to see where his journey starts and where it ends up," the TVD star teased. Trevino further added that he is also interested to see if his character will continue to be involved with the supernatural creatures of Mystic Falls or Tyler will choose to break away and live a normal life instead.

When asked about Tyler's werewolf gene being triggered again in "The Vampire Diaries" Season 6, Michael Trevino teased with a laugh that the fans shall see about it. The actor revealed that becoming a human being again will make Tyler more mature in the new season of the show.

Trevino explained that his character has carried the torch of the alpha male aggressiveness and even the desire to go against the Original hybrid Klaus Mikaelson (Joseph Morgan). However, Season 6 will have Tyler dropping down that torch and beginning a different life journey. "You're going to see a more mature Tyler," the actor stated.

As for Tyler's relationship with Caroline Forbes (Candice Accola), Michael Trevino revealed that what's done is done between the former couple but the two will still remain good friends. "I don't see them in a romantic relationship in the future. But I do see them staying friends, and I think the whole human aspect is going to have a lot to do with that," Trevino revealed.

Michael Trevino currently has more free time while "The Vampire Diaries" is on a break and the actor spends it on charity like his co-stars. The cast members received the Cast of Heroes Awards at the Children Mending Hearts 6th Annual Fundraiser Empathy Rocks: A Spring Into Summer Bash.

The actor described the TVD cast members, including himself, as a little army that represents their respective charities or organizations and it just grew bigger after supporting each other and sharing on Twitter about their charities.

According to the Carter Matt report, filming for "The Vampire Diaries" Season 6 in Atlanta is scheduled to kick off on July 2014. As for the new season's premiere schedule, the hit CW Network TV series is set to air on October 2014.

'Vampire Diaries' Season 6 Spoilers: Actor Paul Wesley Prefers Directing More Episodes, Teases Romantic Relationship of Stefan

"The Vampire Diaries" cast member Paul Wesley attended the Insurgence 6 convention held at the Birmingham Hilton Hotel in England last Sunday, June 15, to spill some details on what's in store for him in Season 6 of the CW TV series. At the panel, the 31-year-old actor talked about directing and the romantic relationship of his TVD character, Stefan Salvatore..
Paul Wesley revealed that he likes directing better than acting because the craft is a new one for him to explore on. The TVD star made his directorial debut in Season 5, Episode 18 titled "Resident Evil" where doppelgangers Stefan and Elena (Nina Dobrev) had visions of themselves ending up together in the future due to the storyline on the Travellers.

According to the Unreality Primetime report, the actor has confirmed that he will be taking a seat on the director's chair again in "The Vampire Diaries" Season 6. As for Stefan's love life in Season 6, Paul Wesley thinks something romantic will finally happen between Stefan and Caroline (Candice Accola).

The actor admitted that he has no idea what executive producer Julie Plec plans on the Stefan-Caroline or "Steroline" relationship but revealed in the TVGuide scoop report that Stefan and Caroline should just have sex. "Get it out of the way and see how it goes," Wesley shared.

The Wet Paint report suggests the Stefan-Caroline relationship will be one of the romantic anchors of "The Vampire Diaries" Season 6. The two characters have been getting more close to each other with some sparks and undeniable chemistry getting noticed in "The Vampire Diaries" Season 5.

TVD executive producer Caroline Dries previously teased that "Steroline" will be explored in Season 6 but the pairing will still deal with issues like Caroline being unsure and confused with what she really feels in addition to the romantic history of Stefan with her best friend, Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev).

"Stefan is her friend. Elena loved Stefan. Elena's her best friend. Kind of a no-fly zone, which is why I think that if she has had any more-than-friend feelings she's pushed them away or convinced herself otherwise," the executive producer explained.

Filming for "The Vampire Diaries" Season 6 is scheduled to begin on July 2014 while the premiere schedule of the CW TV series' new season will be on October 2014.

Paul Wesley hints on relationship of Stefan next season

"The Vampire Diaries" actor Paul Wesley hinted on the status of Stefan's personal relationship in the series.

The actor was quoted by TVGuide saying that he does not know what executive producer Julie Plec is planning for his character in the series. He has no idea if Stefan will end up with Caroline just as rumors suggested. However, the actor also added that Stefan and Caroline should just sleep together. "Get it out of the way and see how it goes," the actor said.

Reports earlier suggested Stefan and Caroline will further develop a deep relationship after Damon's disappearance. This is probably because Caroline will stay on Stefan's side to help him get over with his sadness over his brother's fate.

Meanwhile, "The Vampire Diaries" executive producer Caroline Dries confirmed that the sixth season of the series will explore on the possible pairing of Stefan and Caroline but the two will have to deal with certain issues such as Caroline being unsure and confused with what she feels for Stefan. Moreover, Caroline is also considering the romantic past of Stefan with Elena.

"Stefan is her friend. Elena loved Stefan. Elena's her best friend. Kind of a no-fly zone, which is why I think that if she has had any more-than-friend feelings she's pushed them away or convinced herself otherwise," Dries said.

On the other hand, Paul Wesley may once again sit on the director's chair and direct a few episodes of the series. Paul Wesley revealed that he likes directing better than acting because the craft is a new one for him to explore on. According to the Unreality Primetime report, the actor has confirmed that he will be taking a seat on the director's chair again in "The Vampire Diaries" Season 6.

The filming of "The Vampire Diaries" season 6 is set to begin on July 2014 and the series will air in October on CW.

Vampire Diaries Season 6 : Caroline and Tyler's "Time has passed"

Though Vampire Diaries Season 6 is rumored to bring a fresh start for many of our favorite characters, this is perhaps most true for Tyler Lockwood (Michael Trevino), who is now human again after years of living as a hybrid. How will this affect his life — especially his relationship with former love Caroline (Candice Accola)? Michael chatted to Zap2it on the subject.
"Since some time has passed, what's done is done between them," Michael teased of the Forwood romance. "Everything was so crazy by the end of Season 5, but they still have love for each other. They're still friends. But as for their relationship, I think their time has passed. I don't see them in a romantic relationship in the future. But I do see them staying friends, and I think the whole [Tyler being] human aspect is going to have a lot to do with that."
Michael went on to say that “it's going to be a whole new world for [Tyler]," one that will reportedly revolve around not triggering the werewolf gene again. We can see how this might tie in well to Tyler’s relationship with Caroline. Care Bear is known for her restraint as a vampire, and coaches Stefan through his weak moments. Might she do the same for Tyler — act as his sober sponsor? In this case, the addiction is rage rather than blood, but we think her skills are transferable.
Whatever the reason for these two finding their way back to one another as friends, we’re excited to see it. These are two characters who mean a lot to one another, and we’re glad to see them find a way to keep that connection in their life after it has turned platonic. TVD did something similar with the Stelena relationship last season, and we’re impressed with the maturity the narrative choice demonstrates. Keep up the good work, TVD.

Vampire Diaries Spoilers: Tyler is in the "Danger Zone" in season 6

Being a supernatural might come with its fair share of annoyances, but it does help keep you alive on The Vampire Diaries. Now that Tyler Lockwood (Michael Trevino) is back to being a good, old-fashioned human in Season 6, should we be concerned about his safety? Maybe...
"I'm curious as to what's going to happen with Tyler now that he's human," Michael confessed to Zap2it. "I feel like he's kind of in the danger zone a bit because he's not able to protect himself but he's still aware of all this supernatural activity going on, so I'm curious to see if he's going to stay involved with the supernatural world as far as the friends that he has. Or, is he going to try and break away and live a normal life?"
Good questions, all. And ones made more complicated by the fact that Mystic Falls is currently a magic-free zone, which means no supernaturals allowed. Will this offer Tyler (and always-human Matt Donovan) a sanctuary from the supernatural? Or will, as Michael suggests, the call of friendship pull them out of the magic-free zone and into danger?
Michael further elaborated on the questions Tyler would face in Season 6, saying: "It's exciting but scary. He doesn't have his supernatural abilities anymore in a supernatural world, so how can he protect himself? But it's also nice because now, maybe he won't have to deal with all the extracurriculars that come with being a hybrid or being a werewolf or being a vampire. It will be interesting to see where his journey starts and where it ends up." There’s also the question of how long Tyler’s non-supernaturalness will last. Though he may be a human again, he still has the werewolf gene inside of him and the rage that led him to inadvertently trigger it before. One of Ty’s major themes in Season 6 will be struggling to control that rage. Is this the true “danger zone”?

The Vampire Diaries Cast has fun in the sun at Children Mending Hearts Fundraiser






We already knew that the cast of The Vampire Diaries were a charitable bunch of folks, but it’s good to know that the rest of the world now knows!
Kat Graham, Michael Trevino, and Kayla Ewell were on tap at the annual fundraiser for Children Mending Hearts, a non-profit aimed to empower youth and build empathy and global citizenry, accepting the Cast of Heroes Award on behalf of the entire, well, cast!
While everyone was looking pretty stellar, we have to give Kat some credit for her stunning outfit. She was wearing a Katherine Kidd ensemble with Sophia Webster heels, an MCL clutch, and Neil Lane jewels — can you say “fierce”?
These three probably had a ton of fun together at this mini reunion, but we’re honestly just proud that they were finally getting recognized for all their hard word. Even Michael got a little sentimental when he credited his co-stars with helping him get involved in charity work.

Paul Wesley Directs his adorable Grandfather in a new PSA for Welcome.US

Paul Wesley is combining his passion for directing and his Polish pride to create a new PSA for Welcome.us, a non-profit dedicated to celebrating America’s immigrant tradition. Welcome.us is currently celebrating Immigrant Heritage Month, and Vampire Diaries star Paul has traveled all the way to Poland to interview his grandfather for a very special PSA.
“Very excited to be directing a PSA for Welcome.us - Check out the site and stay tuned for Immigrant Heritage Month this June,” Paul tweeted last month. The actor, who changed his surname from Wasilewski to Wesley for acting, has a strong connection to his Polish heritage. Up until the age of 16, he spent four months of every year in Poland and still speaks Polish fluently. He told Onet.pl: “My grandparents live in Warsaw and I visit them often. I’m very proud of my heritage.” He is funnelling that pride into this PSA, and even traveled to Poland to interview his grandfather for the short.
“Interviewing my grandfather in his living room in Warsaw for my Welcome.us PSA,” Paul captioned an Instagram photo of his adorable grandfather sitting in an arm chair in what we assume is his house, camera equipment surrounding him. Paul has also shared other photos from his trip to Europe, including a snapshot with his nephew Henry and the view of the lovely city from his window. It’s very cool to see Paul’s family heritage and his vocation combining in such interesting ways. We can’t wait to see the finished product!

Saturday, June 14, 2014

Michael Trevino: My Vampire Diaries Co-Stars Inspired me to do charity work

The cast of The Vampire Diaries is being recognized for their dedication to making the world a better place. Seemingly everyone on this cast uses their celebrity to further the work of a charity or non-profit they are passionate about, so Children Mending Hearts is presenting the TVDers with the Cast of Heroes award. Michael Trevino (Tyler Lockwood) chatted to Zap2it about the cast’s passion for charity work and what inspired him personally to take part.
"It's kind of crazy, because we all do it just to do it, not for any other reason," Michael reflected. "The eight of us [on TVD] are now like a little army, each of us representing what we want to follow as far as our charities go, and it keeps getting bigger and bigger. Everyone kind of had their own charity and we all started supporting each other and tweeting about each others' charities and it just grew and grew. It's really cool and it's nice that Children Mending Hearts is recognizing that."
As for Tyler’s personal journey into charity promotion, he credits his co-stars as the catalysts: "I wasn't involved in charity work until I got on the show, and I was influenced from the get go by Ian and Kat," Trevino says. "They have been so heavily involved with multiple charities. Kat threw her own event for her charity The Water Project and we all know that Ian is always around the world, saving the world every day, so I was influenced by them. I found my own charity, Operation Smile, and I support their charities and they support mine."
Have we mentioned yet today how amazing this cast is?

Kat Graham to present at the 4th annual critics' choice awards

We may already have the nominations for the 4th Annual Critics’ Choice Television Awards, but what we’ve really been dying to know is who will be presenting the awards! It’s a noble honor to open the envelope and read off the lucky winner, building anticipation up for the audience and the viewers. So imagine our glee when Vampire Diaries star Kat Graham (Bonnie Bennett) was listed as a presenter this year!
Kat’s name showed up on a huge list of presenters, ranging from some of the hottest names in comedy to some extremely talented dramatic actors and actresses. Check out the full list here:
Nominees who are also presenting: Lizzy Caplan (Masters of Sex), Tony Hale (Veep), Emmy Rossum (Shameless), Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory), and Matthew Rhys (The Americans).
Just presenters: Christina Applegate, Fred Armisen (Archer, Portlandia), Scott Aukerman (Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis), Demian Bichir (The Bridge), Danielle Brooks (Orange Is the New Black), Carrie Brownstein (Portlandia), Josh Dallas (Once Upon a Time), Kat Graham (The Vampire Diaries), Max Greenfield (New Girl), Kathy Griffin, Colin Hanks (Fargo), Angie Harmon (Rizzoli & Isles), Colton Haynes (Arrow), Diane Kruger (The Bridge), Natasha Lyonne (Orange Is the New Black), Kunal Nayyar (The Big Bang Theory), Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men), Adam Pally (The Mindy Project), Laura Prepon (Orange Is the New Black), Gina Rodriguez (Jane the Virgin), Isaiah Washington (The 100), and Shane West (Salem).
So, as you can see, Kat is in good company. No word yet on who she might be sharing the stage with or what category she’ll be presenting, but that won’t keep us from tuning in!
The 4th Annual Critics’ Choice Television Awards air June 19 at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.

Friday, June 13, 2014

Nina Dobrev gets leggy in High-Waisted shorts for shopping day




What's a girl to do when she's not busy filming The Vampire Diaries? Shopping spree!
Nina Dobrev, who plays Elena Gilbert on TVD, did just that over the weekend, while out and about in New York City on June 11. The actress was spotted looking stylish in black and white high-waisted shorts, a white top tucked-in, and beige outerwear. Adorable outfit, eh?
Well, it looks like Nina may have picked up some other funky looks too, seeing as she did not go home empty handed. The on-screen vamp carried a bag from the Owen boutique, Sephora, and more. Successful shopping day!

Kat Graham goes gladiator chic, meets up with sister in west hollywood





Not only is Kat Graham a talented actress, making us fall in love with the ever-witchy Bonnie Bennett on The Vampire Diaries, but she’s also a gifted musician and one of our style icons. And, not so surprisingly, her latest look has got us drooling.
While out and about in West Hollywood, Kat was donning some fierce gladiator-style high-heels — complete with knee pads! The “Power” singer was leaving a meeting, wearing a black sports jersey as a dress, meeting up with her stylist, Maeve Reilly, and her little sister. To top off the look, Kat wore a backwards leather hat. Can you say “badass”?
Ever since The Vampire Diaries wrapped up Season 5 — which made the second season in a row that her on-screen character was killed off — Kat has had a little more free time. We suspect that she’s using this time to jump back into her music career, which makes us really happy.

Vampire Diaries star Nina Dobrev and James Marsden dating - report

Just days after reports surfaced that Nina Dobrev was getting close to Muse drummer Dominic Howard, sources are now saying the Vampire Diaries star is hooking up with movie hunk James Marsden — you know, of Enchanted fame. Apparently the two were spotted at Cat’s Meow karaoke bar in New Orleans and have been hooking up, though they’re not exactly “together” yet.
“Nina thinks James is hot,” a source tells HollywoodLife.com. “They have met before and they did hook up once and had a great time. It was a fun night of drinking and hooking up on Bourbon Street.”
MORE: Nina Dobrev’s Hair Evolution — See the Brunette Beauty’s Ever-Changing Locks! (VIDEO)
OK, so it sounds like Nina is just enjoying her single life and exploring what’s out there — if this is even true. That being said, this could potentially be a very powerful couple if they were to make things official. Not only has Nina dated the likes of Ian Somerhalder, but James got divorced from his wife of 11 years in 2011 and is a father to three kids. Add in their TV and film prowess and you’ve got one firecracker of a Hollywood couple!
Now that Nina has been supposedly spotted with a few guys, it’s becoming more and more clear that homegirl has a type. While Nina is just a young gal at 25 years old, she’s got a thing for older guys. Here’s the evidence: Ian is 35, Dominic is 36, and James is 40! Someone likes their men a little bit older — and we don’t blame her!

Thursday, June 12, 2014

The Originals: 5 things we want from season 2

The Originals debuted with a hell of a first season, one that saw the Vampire Diaries spin-off continually improving upon itself. We hope that tradition continues in Season 2 and, in that spirit, here are five things we want to see in The Originals sophomore season!
Cami as Faction Leader
We’ve had our issues with Cami’s (Leah Pipes) character so far but, let’s face it: it ain’t easy being the only human amongst a gang of supernaturals. Cami’s storyline really picked up near the end of Season 1 as she was forced to deal with the decline and death of her uncle, then step into his role as a leader of the human faction (if only in spirit, rather than with any official designation). With the human faction now leaderless and Cami’s character finally getting interesting, we hope to see Cami come more into her own as a representative of the human faction in Season 2.
An Effective Crossover With TVD
Tyler’s (Michael Trevino) visit to NOLA was pretty lame in the first season, but we forgive The Originals. The show’s task in its debut season was to set itself apart from its source material, and crossovers can endanger that mission. Now that The Originals has defined itself as a show worthy of watching whatever your relationship to TVD, we wouldn’t mind a crossover or two. Now, this is a bit of a paradox. The more unique a spin-off becomes, the less narratively necessary crossovers become. But, we think the TVD and The Originals teams can pull it off.
Motivation Outside of This Game of Thrones
The Originals is at its best when it’s effectively critiquing its main characters quest for absolute control of the French Quarter. We start to lose some interest when it glorifies the everlasting battle for power. Frankly, we don’t really care who has control of the French Quarter — we care how that struggle effects and corrupts our “heroes.” The Originals is much more interesting when it is asking the question: At what cost does this pursuit for power come? We hope it delves further into this theme in Season 2.
More Evil Correas
We loved the twist that saw the Correa family, led by the deliciously dastardly Francesca, double-cross the Mikaelsons, steal the werewolf rings, trigger the werewolf curse, and then take out much of NOLA’s vampire population. The Originals has done a good job of operating without major threats to the immortal Mikaelsons, but this show gets really compelling when we see the Mikaelsons fall. We hope the Correas are more than just a villain flavor-of-the-month, and that the chilling Francesca is around for a longer stay.
Mikaelson Family Reunion
With so many Mikaelsons currently kicking around the French Quarter, we can’t be the only ones who are hoping for a family reunion — as in, all of the clan in the same place (including Rebekah and Baby Hope). Sure, they may be trying to kill one another, but that doesn’t mean this family of immortals can’t sit down for a nice family dinner like civilized vampires first. Think of it as a cross between The Originals and Gilmore Girls’ Friday night dinners. Bring on the squabble!

Ian Somerhalder visits emergency room after slicing hand. Is he ok?

We’re sure Ian Somerhalder was wishing he had the supernatural healing powers his on-screen counterpart, Damon Salvatore, has on The Vampire Diaries the other day. It turns out the 35-year-old actor experienced a little pain when he sliced his hand open, sending him straight to the emergency room to get bandaged up.
“Miami this morning... Shanghai this evening... Owwwwww,” Ian captioned a photo of the bloody mess. Ouch! From the looks of the cut, Ian was probably feeling some pain — but the photo on the right shows the actor giving us a grin in Shanghai. The doctors must have been able to patch him up pretty easily. Phew!
When Ian got to his hotel in China, however, he had a surprise waiting for him. We’d imagine this little pick-me-up made him totally forget his aching hand.
“Okay, post-emergency Room in Shanghai- The ONLY way to check in to a hotel... Thank you to this staff for making me feel insanely loved! So cool,” Ian wrote, showing his hotel room and the rose petal message.
It’s pretty adorable that the hotel staff decided to personalize Ian’s hotel room — and the Damon love on the window is a welcome departure from the gravestone Ian shared with fans the other day.
Hopefully Ian’s hand heals quickly — we just hope he doesn’t become an actual vampire in order to speed up the process!

Vampire Diaries burning question: Is bringing Bonnie and Damon back a mistake?

Don’t get us wrong: we’re happy that Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder) and Bonnie Bennett (Kat Graham) are not in fact gone from The Vampire Diaries — we’re just not so sure it is the best narrative choice. As this seemingly interminable summer hiatus moves steadily on, we contemplate the question: Is bringing Bonnie and Damon back a mistake?
Yes, this show has lost all sense of consequence
This show laughs in the face of consequence. It has taken the vampirism theme of cheating death and followed it through to a near-infinite conclusion. And it works on some level because we, as viewers, don’t want our favorite characters to die. But, it also takes away from the strength of narrative because we are never really afraid any of our heroes will die. It’s kind of like the television equivalent of junk food: it might taste good, but it’s not as satisfying in the long term. The Season 5 finale was a great opportunity for this show to make some bold statements concerning stakes, and they totally wasted it by not killing any major characters. We fear this may have been one time too many.
No, it gives the show a new, compelling plot
On the other hand, we haven’t been excited about a TVD plot line in a while. Season 5 felt like one impersonal and arbitrary battle for good vs. evil after another, and none of them emotionally-important to our characters. They were pawns in greater battles of good vs. evil, and it left us a bit bored. Word on the street is that Season 6 will be a “journey back to each other,” presumably as both Damon and Bonnie try to make their ways back to their loved ones. This is not only something we haven’t seen before on this show, but something in which all of the characters are personally invested. They aren’t playing a role in someone else’s story. They are playing out their own motivations and desires. This could be great — so much better than if Damon and Bonnie died.
Maybe, we’ll have to see how it plays out
We used to have blind confidence in this show, but that time has passed. It’s underwhelmed us too many times. We still love it. We’ll still watch it. But we’re not going to assume that it will pay off all of its plots and themes — though, we still have hope. So, as far as whether bringing Bonnie and Damon back is a mistake, we’re going to have to wait and see what happens. Only time will tell if this storylines is one worth investing in, and if this particular example of our favorite characters cheating death was worth the lowered stakes that have come along with it.

5 ways to fix The Vampire Diaries for season 6

We have high hopes for Season 6 of The Vampire Diaries, but there are a few fixes we think the supernatural drama could make in their transition from last season’s uneven storytelling. Here are five changes we hope TVD makes in the upcoming season.
Fewer, more relevant antagonists. TVD tends to break its season into several story arcs, and that’s cool with us, but we think the show works best when they narrow the antagonists to a chosen few. Last season, the initial story arc especially was plagued by too many antagonists working at cross purposes with only a periphery relation to our heroes. And we would argue that, throughout the entire season, there were no villains (save for quasi-villain Enzo) who had any kind of personal relationship with any of our main characters. Villains tend to have a greater effect on us when they mean something to our gateway characters.
A total abandonment of the love triangle. We think TVD might be one step ahead of us with this particular suggestion, having wrapped up the Stelena storyline (for now) in the second half of last season. Still, we’re worried the show might fall back into old habits with Damon gone and Elena left to deal with her grief. Please, show, resist. Love triangles only work when they make sense for all of the characters involved in them and the Stefan/Elena/Damon love triangle did damage to its respective characters when it was forced.
Some grounding in setting. We’ve said this before and we’ll say it again: TVD has lost its sense of place. This started before the last season, but it was exacerbated with the show’s dual settings last year in Mystic Falls and Whitmore College. With the value that Mystic Falls has been given as a home our heroes can no longer live in, we have high hopes for this show’s potential return to place as another character of on the show. We miss the days where Mystic Falls town gatherings and flashbacks to this town’s supernatural history were common place. This shows needs a sense of community past the social group it focuses on.
More time for the ensemble. Though we adore Stefan, Elena, and Damon, this show’s strength lies in its entire ensemble (especially now that the love triangle has played itself out). We hope to see meatier storylines given to the supporting characters who were somewhat neglected last season: Matt, Jeremy, Tyler, and Caroline. We’re also hoping to see these characters interacting with one another and new and interesting ways. For example, seeing a friendship form between Damon and notoriously neglected character Bonnie would be great.
Slow-burn emotional arcs. TVD excels at fast-paced plot, but it only works when it is underscored by slower-moving emotional developments for our favorite characters. Otherwise, it feels a bit like narrative spaghetti being thrown at the wall, with only some of it sticking. At its core, drama is about character growth (or, alternatively, regression). If these characters aren’t being changed by the fast-paced plot in compelling, interesting, and realistic ways, then what’s the point? There were times in Season 5 when it felt like TVD lost sight of this.

The Vampire Diaries Season 5 on DVD- when can you buy it?

Are you ready to put on your Traveler boots and take another trip to the Other Side? We hope so, because Season 5 of The Vampire Diaries is about to come out on DVD — which means you can binge on the latest season whenever you want!
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group is releasing The Vampire Diaries: The Complete Fifth Season on September 9, 2014. This season — which averaged 4 million viewers per episode — saw an end to the doppelganger storyline, Katherine Pierce’s unfortunate death, and an action-packed Traveler storyline, leaving Damon Salvatore and Bonnie Bennett trapped on the Other Side in the final moments.
Even if you think you’ve seen the episodes enough times already, you’ll definitely want to buy the DVDs for the amazing special features, which include:
— Reinvention: To The Other Side and Back
— I Know What You Did…In the Last 100 Episodes
— A Day in the Afterlife
— Second Bite (Gag Reel)
—Deleted Scenes
You can buy the DVD set for $59.98 or get the Blu-ray Combo Pack for $69.97, you know, if you want to see your favorite vampires in crystal-clear HD! Either way, you’re in for a wild ride that will prepare you for Season 6 of the hit CW series, which airs this fall!

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

The Vampire Diaries Season 6: 5 Changes We Want to See

Don’t get us wrong, we still love us some Vampire Diaries, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t things we wouldn’t change about Season 5 of the vampire drama. With the promise of a fresh, new Season 6 on the summer hiatus horizon, here are five changes we want to see in the upcoming season.
More time to supporting characters. TVD is at its best when it embraces its ensemble. This has been especially true in recent seasons, when the all-important love triangle has fallen flat. But regardless of what’s happening with the main three, we love TVD the most when it finds time to give meatier storylines to its supporting cast. Now that the main cast extends to Enzo and Alaric (and, hopefully, to some degree, Liv and Luke), our desire to see storytelling distribution between our characters has only increased.
A recognition of our heros’ relative morality. We couldn’t help but feel for Luke and Liv this past season. They were more-or-less the TVDers equivalent of a witch booty call, contacted whenever our guys needed a spell performed, but never offered Fang Gang membership. And the Fang Gang totally got mad at them for going to desperate lengths to save the people they love (aka one another) even though they did the same thing on a weekly basis. The same could be said of Enzo, who hasn’t done anything that Damon hasn’t done, but gets mega-judged for it. We’d like to see TVD mature to the point where they explore this moral relativism as a full-blown theme — not just for Bad Boy Hero Damon, but for all of the characters on this show.
More consistent and effective use of the flashback. We love us some TVD flashback, but the second half of Season 5 was sadly light on the plot device. The flashbacks to what happened to Maggie in the 1960s were disgustingly compelling (that shot of Damon ripping off Maggie’s head, anyone?), but somewhat ineffective as a storytelling device. They were used to give us information we already knew about a character we cared almost nothing for (outside of her value to Enzo) rather than to shine a deeper, more nuanced understanding on one of our main characters. TVD knows how to pull off a flashback like no other (see: Season 5’s “The Cell”), and we hope to see a return to form in Season 6.
Whitmore College world-building. TVD’s solution to the dreaded high school-to-college TV show jump was to mostly ignore its new collegiate setting altogether. Sure, we explored the Whitmore-based Augustine Society and spent sometime in empty classrooms and at lame college parties, but TVD never really embraced its new setting. We’re not saying we want to spend hours on college plotlines, but we would like for the show to establish a sense of place in the same way they did with Mystic Falls in early seasons of the show. Otherwise, we feel a little lost.
A personal villain. The Season 5 villains had their moments (Markos, less so), but none of them were compelling in the way Klaus or Katherine have been. The best villains on this show have been personal. Klaus was unpredictably ruthless, but he was also humanized by his commitment to his family, as well as his attempts to get his best friendship with Stefan back. As terrible as Katherine could be, her long and complicated history with the Salvatores gave her an automatic in to the world of TVD.
Enzo works in a similar manner. His importance to our characters (in this case, Damon) is given through convincing flashback, but he never really rose to true villain status. Instead, he acted as an ally as often as an enemy. We lost time with the feud between Silas, Amara, and Tessa, which was only superficially personal to our central characters in that some of these characters shared our heroes’ faces — and late-to-the-game Markos. We hope Season 6 introduces us to another villain we can care about.

Vampire Diaries Season 6 Will Explore "What It Means to Go Home Again"

You can’t go home again (if you’re a supernatural from Mystic Falls). In Season 5 of The Vampire Diaries, the Travelers cast a spell that makes Mystic Falls a magic-free zone. This is bad news for most of our main characters, given that they are not only mostly supernaturals, but call the Virginian hamlet home.  How will this effort to reclaim their home factor into Season 6? Executive producer Caroline Dries talked to Alloy Entertainment on the subject.
“The anti-magic boundary will continue to play a role moving forward as we begin to explore this notion of what it means to go home again,” Caroline teased. “As the story unfolds we’ll see the effects exile has had on everyone and see that everyone is handling it (and the loss of their loved ones) differently and personal journeys will form. Some will be fighting for a way to save their home, others have given up or moved on or found peace with it… We wanted the fallout to be personal for everyone.”
Sign us up. TVD stumbled a bit this past season in making a thematic jump from high school drama to college drama — or, if not college, than post-high school drama. Questions about the nature of home — and if you can go home again — make a lot of sense for the next phase of this coming-of-age tale. In the Season 5 finale, these heroes didn’t just lose two of their loved ones, they lost the place that grounds them, the place that holds their histories. We’re glad to see that TVD is exploring both of those tragedies, especially given that — though the vampire drama has explored the themes of grief and loss over loved ones a great deal — we’ve yet to see the show ask many questions about these characters’ connection to place.

Ian Somerhalder Says It's "Game Over" For Damon Salvatore (PHOTO)

We know Ian Somerhalder (Damon Salvatore) will be back for Vampire Diaries Season 6, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t freaking out about the photo Ian just posted of Damon’s grave! How does this tie into Damon’s fate? We speculate below!
“Rest in Peace Damon Salvatore. #GameOver,” Ian captioned a photo of Damon’s gravestone, which is etched only with his name. Yikes! That’s enough to send chills down the spine of any TVD fan.
Though the image is unsettling, we still have high hopes for Damon’s storyline in Season 6. We’re not sure where exactly Damon and Bonnie went when the light embraced them in the Season 5 finale — and we’re not sure where we’ll find them when the Season 6 premiere picks up a “substantial time jump” later — but we’re eager to see this “journey back to each other” TVD has teased in its promo poster for the upcoming season.
We’re actually intrigued by the fact that Ian is taking a photo of his gravestone, given that we would have assumed it rather fitting into Elena or Stefan’s storyline as the people who are presumably grieving his loss. Does this mean Damon will be hanging around Mystic Falls in Season 6 or did Ian just pop over to the Mystic Falls set to take this photo? If it’s the former, that may give us some information about what Damon will be up to in Season 6. Perhaps, he and Bonnie’s existence will operate under similar rules to Bonnie’s interaction in the beginning of Season 5: They can see their loved ones, but their loved ones can’t see them. Or, more interestingly, perhaps Bonnie and Damon are in Mystic Falls, but they are in the wrong Mystic Falls — i.e. in another time period or an alternate reality of the Virginian hamlet. Both ideas are more science fiction than the vampire drama has ever ventured before, but we think the show might be able to pull it off.

Vampire Diaries Spoilers: Matt Is in a "Very Fresh Place" in Season 6

Never before has The Vampire Diaries felt reset in the way it does in the transition between Season 5 and Season 6. With the “substantial time jump” between seasons, two of our main characters apparently (if not actually) dead, and a magic-free Mystic Falls, Season 6 is a whole new beginning. How will this affect resident human Matt Donovan (Zach Roerig)? Read on to find out!
“We get to start them in Season 6 in a very fresh place that will hopefully feel new and cool,” TVD executive producer Caroline Dries said of both Matt and Tyler (Michael Trevino), who will both be human in Season 6. “Tyler was in such a devastated place for most of season 5 so we wanted to shake that up a little bit. Likewise, Matt has been victimized so much in the show as a result of being human in a vampire-run world, so we’re excited to give him his version of a ‘human’ world, especially now that he’s grown up so much, developed opinions and beliefs and has really come into his own.”
We’re not surprised to hear that Matt will be doing better than most in Season 6. Even in the Season 5 finale, when thing seemed particularly dire, he saw the pros in a Mystic Falls without magic — and we can’t blame him. Though Matt has been a loyal friend and Mystic Falls resident, he has never wanted to live in a supernatural world. Not to mention that it was the supernatural that brought about his sister’s death. We’re eager to see what Matt Donovan’s life looks like now that he doesn’t have to deal with the supernatural shenanigans of his social circle.

The Vampire Diaries Speculation: Who's Hooking Up With Who in Season 6?

The Vampire Diaries ended its fifth season with none of its many romances happily resolved. Usually, when the supernatural drama ends a season, we have at least one relationship ending on a happy note. Not so much here: Damon and Elena are seemingly forever separated. Jeremy and Bonnie are seemingly forever separated.
We suppose Stefan and Caroline end the season on a somewhat positive note in that they are both alive and a question of a possible romantic development has been presented, but to call them a romance at this point would be pushing the definition. Basically, with so many relationships up in the air, anything could happen in Season 6, especially given the “substantial time jump.” Here are some of our best guesses at who might get together in the wake of this romantic chaos!
Jeremy/Liv. Hey, we didn’t say these were going to be healthy romances, did we? Given how tragically the relationship between Jeremy and Bonnie ended, we doubt Jer will be in the best place to start up something new come Season 6, even with the time jump. However, we wouldn’t be surprised if TVD explored the romantic tension between Jeremy and Liv sometime in Season 6. Though Jeremy only seemed to have eyes for Bon Bon, Liv’s flirtations with Jeremy were made an emotional subplot in Season 5. Might Jeremy turn for Liv in Season 6 in his time of grief? If so, fandom should definitely go with the shipper name Livemy.
Caroline/Stefan. Whether or not these two friends turn things romantic in Season 6 is yet to be seen, but their relationship is definitely getting a spotlight in the upcoming season. Executive producer Caroline Dries told Alloy Entertainment: “The feelings behind the feelings are something we get to explore in season 6 as we watch how [Caroline’s] relationship with Stefan plays out in the wake of the finale.” After all of the Steroline teasing in Season 5, we can’t imagine these two not getting together, even if it doesn’t last. With Delena separated and Stelena seemingly over (at least for now), TVD is going to be looking elsewhere for its romance. We think Steroline is the coupling they have chosen.
Tyler/new character. Now that he’s human again, Tyler has a whole new chance at a “normal” life. That is, as long as he doesn’t trigger that pesky werewolf gene by killing someone — drama! This will include the possibility of new love for our favorite former hybrid. Executive producer Julie Plec told The Hollywood Reporter: “I'm excited about Tyler's storyline this year. It's time for him to find somebody new to love, because one thing that can help us with the darkest parts inside ourselves is the light of love, so I'm looking forward to exploring that with him.”
Given that we can’t think of anyone else in Mystic Falls for Tyler to date — Tyler will be hanging out with Jeremy and Matt in the non-supernatural zone that is now Mystic Falls — we’re guessing Tyler’s future bea will be a new character? Unless, of course, April Young is back for Season 6. What has that girl been up to? Did she survive the Traveler invasion?
Luke/new character. We’re really hoping that TVD commits to the only non-heterosexual character currently on the show by giving him a love interest. We totally love Luke, and after everything he went through in Season 5 (including dying), we think he deserves a little romance. That is, if he’s even in Season 6.

The Vampire Diaries Burning Question: Where Will Elena Be in Season 6?

With the substantial time jump set to take place between Season 5 and Season 6 of The Vampire Diaries, we could find our cast of characters anywhere and in any state of mind. We’re especially interested to find out what Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev) has been up to in the time since she seemingly lost her boyfriend and her best friend with the collapse of the Other Side in the Season 5 finale. Where will Elena be in Season 6? We speculate below!
Coming to terms
Executive producer Julie Plec told The Hollywood Reporter of Season 6: “Our characters fundamentally will have had to come to terms with the fact that Damon and Bonnie are gone forever. There are those who refuse to give up. There are those who have given up. There are those who are living in denial. All of them have found ways to move forward and get on with their lives in really unique and distinct ways.” Which of those groups will Elena have fallen into? Hard to say. Based on how she has dealt with the deaths of those closest to her in the past, we’re inclined to think the denial thing might be a likely option. However, given that much time has passed and TVD will most likely want to surprise us with Elena’s (and everyone’s) reactions after the time jump, we’re not so sure. Perhaps, Elena has “come to terms” with her loved ones deaths better than we might have predicted.
At Whitmore College
If everything went according to plan, Elena will be enrolled in her second year at Whitmore College (and, hopefully, will be attending more classes than she did in her first year there). There’s certainly a lot of evidence to suggest that this is where Elena will be. Not only will many of her friends be there (perhaps even Stefan, who — as a supernatural — can no longer live in the magic-free Mystic Falls). Nina said that Elena and Stefan will be “in a settled place" for Season 6, which implies these two have spent at least some time together. Furthermore, Alaric will be back “as a friend and as emotional support” for the Gilbert kids, which further implies that Elena will be hanging in Virginia — and, again, given that as vampires both Elena and Alaric can’t live in Mystic Falls, Whitmore College is looking likelier and likelier as Elena’s location.
Far, far away
On the other hand, just because Elena will end up hanging with Alaric and, potentially, Stefan in Season 6, doesn’t mean that’s how she’ll start the season. The use of a substantial time jump gives TVD the opportunity to do something they’ve never done before: send Elena away from her home for a long period of time. Though Elena has taken short trips out of Mystic Falls over the past five seasons, because of the nature of the show and the breakneck pace of its plot, Elena has always been tied to Mystic Falls. Having her spend time dealing with her gried far, far away from her home would not only give us a whole new Elena full of new experiences to get to know, but also tie in with what seems to be the season’s intended theme of reclaiming home.

Ian Somerhalder Sports Sexy Scruff at (RED) AIDS Charity Event

Saving the environment isn’t the only cause on Ian Somerhalder’s mind these days. The Vampire Diaries star stepped out sporting sexy scruff for the launch of the Eat (RED), Drink (RED), Save Lives campaign on Monday, June 2 in NYC.

The (RED) organization joins forces with iconic brands to deliver exciting products and events as a new way to fight AIDS. The latest campaign is teaming up with restaurants and food trucks all around the country with one goal in mind: to #86AIDS. From June 1-10, these participating locations will directly donate a portion of all proceeds to The Global Fund. 100 percent of the money raised goes to supply medication and education all around the world.

You, too, can get involved by visiting one of these participating restaurants. (A full list can be found here.) You can also donate $10 on the (RED) website for a chance to win a trip to NYC and a private cooking class with superstar chef Mario Batali.

Vampire Diaries Season 6: Ian Somerhalder Will Definitely Be Back — What About Damon?


Vampire Diaries’ Ian Somerhalder (Damon Salvatore) is such a tease! He has the whole Internet nervous after sharing a photo of Damon’s gravestone earlier this week. What did TVLine have to say about the truth behind Ian’s return — and what it might mean for Damon?
The TVD camp seems to be keeping quiet about where Damon might be come Season 6 — and, if he’ll even be alive. However, TVLine did confirm that Ian will definitely be back. As for the grave pic in question, the TV news site called it Ian “jerking fans’ chains.” What else are you suppose to do on summer hiatus, TV aficionados?
The question is: how much can we trust Ian? He captioned the photo: “Rest in Peace Damon Salvatore. #GameOver.” Does this mean Damon is for-real dead? At this point, we’re not even sure if that’s so unlikely a possibility. Characters have survived as show regulars past on-screen deaths on this show before (for example, Damon’s new white-light companion, Bonnie). We’re not sure what death means on this show anymore or how seriously to take it — even after the collapse of the Other Side.
Wherever Damon may be, and whatever corporeal state he may be in, a gravestone commemorating his life doesn’t seem so crazy. As far as his loved ones know, Damon is gone forever. They should really follow Wetpaint. Then they'd know a reunion is inevitable....