Saturday, August 08, 2009

Bon Temps

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Steve and I first fell in love with the charming town of Clinton, Louisiana, some six years ago, when we stumbled upon it by chance while exploring the gently rolling hills of what are known as the Felicianas. With its moss-draped live oaks, stately columned courthouse, Victorian-era false-fronted shops, and graceful antebellum homes, Clinton is a picture book-style old Southern town. After Katrina, when we decided to buy a “bolt hole” that we could use for future hurricane evacuations, it seemed somehow inevitable that we ended up buying a house on a small lake on the outskirts of Clinton.

So it was a bit of a kick to drive through town on our way to the lake a few weeks ago and discover that Clinton had been turned into the physical manifestation of Bon Temps, the fictional small Louisiana town that serves as the setting for the HBO series “True Blood.”

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Personally, I’ve never seen “True Blood,” although I have read one of the Sookie Stackhouse books. The filming of the location shots was evidently quite an experience for the cast, who had to deal with real heat and humidity rather then simply pretending they were dealing with heat and humidity.

“It makes you move slower, which is interesting for character,” said actor Stephen Moyer. “I understand now why people move so slow down here.” To which Anna Paquin, who plays Sookie, chimed in, “You have to move slower, or you’ll pass out!”

Seems Clinton will be appearing in three of the upcoming episodes, including the August 23rd episode and the season finale. And given the series’s success, more filming will likely be scheduled in the future. Which is nice to know, because like so many small American towns these days, Clinton needs all the help it can get.

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6 comments:

Lainey said...

Thanks! Had no idea the crew went on location.

I've been with the Sookie Stackhouse books since the first release. The Southern voice is so real. Haven't seen anything but clips from True Blood because I prefer the Sookie print version.

But I'm weakening. Alexander Skarsgard is difficult to resist.

orannia said...

I did read the first Sookie Stackhouse book but it didn't work for me, so I haven't watched the series. It is screening here though :)

Steve Malley said...

The star, Anna Paquin, is a Kiwi!

That said, these days most vampire stuff just isn't my bag...

Charles Gramlich said...

I haven't watched True Blood but sometime I may try to catch an episode. I'm not very big on vampires these days. Just too many around.

cs harris said...

Lainey, I think they did some shoots around Shreveport last year, but they didn't do them in the middle of the summer. Seriously, the cast's reactions to the Deep South were a hoot.

Orannia, I did finish the one I read, but I'm just not into vampires and shape shifters et al.

Steve, I still remember her as a little girl from The Piano, which I thought was an incredible film. I understand she's taken some serious diction lessons to change her accent.

Charles, I plan to try to watch one of the episodes with Clinton in it!

ParaJunkee said...

hiya, fellow New Orleanian book blogger! I really enjoyed reading through your blog. Great article on Clinton and TruBlood. I really fell in love with the town of Clinton. My husband and I went there, and I entered a contest for the winery they have up there. (Designing the label) It was right before Katrina, and I actually think I won, but because of the turmoil couldn't get the authorization to them. I hadn't realized they were filming TruBlood there, but that really is good, they do need some money funneled into the town. I can't help but take offense to the slow comments though - I mean c'mon just because its hot doesn't mean we're all slow!