In which I talk about a dissapointment ...

So, yesterday, I was so thrilled that FINALLY my hold on TrueBlood came in at the library.
I've really enjoyed that series by Charlaine Harris (and the other books of hers that I've read. I really like her style. It's fun!)

So, Michael and I pop in the first disc. I think we watched maybe a half-hour before we're all, "Um, no."

I was taken aback by all the cussing. Harris' books aren't like that. Sure, there's SOME. But nothing like what the screenwriters put. And I do NOT need to see a couple of people totally going at it nekkid to know that Sookie's brother is a total player.

I know that they always say, "Show it, don't tell it." But, my dears, that's for LITERATURE. I don't have to know EXPLICITLY what sexual acts a character does to know that s/he gets around. You could have a narrator or another character or two mention it. Which Harris does.

Yeah. Total disappointment.

As I muttered after I switched it off, "At least I have ice cream." Because Michael's awesome and brought me home a pint of Ben and Jerry's Brownie Cheesecake. (He almost grabbed me the AmeriCone Dream, since it's made to support Stephen Colbert's charities.)

So, yeah, the night wasn't a total waste. But, grrrr. It really ticks me off that HBO did that to the Sookie Stackhouse books. The books are quite a bit tamer in language and ... stuff. For the most part. I mean, yes. There's some steamy stuff. But people aren't throwing around the f-bomb willy-nilly like in the show.

(I understood it in Dexter, since I watched the pilot after LOVING the first book. THAT, now, was faithful to the book. There IS language in there. And Jeff Lindsay, the author, does explain why certain characters use the language that they do. So I'm okay with that. ... Still, it's why I don't watch the series.)

[RANDOM FACT ABOUT ME: While I really don't like hearing vulgarities or profanity in shows, I don't care so much if I'm reading it. ... I seem to auto-edit. Unless it's really vital to the content/meaning of the statement. I don't know why. But it's what I do. I'll notice if there's language in written media ... but, overall, I don't mind it so much as I do when I HEAR it.]

Michael, bless his dear heart, was really taken aback by TrueBlood since he misunderstood which book series it was about. He was under the impression that it was based on L.J. Smith's Vampire Diaries series (which is a YA vampire series published when I was a girl. I remember reading Smith's books as I walked home from school in Jr. High. Or during classes [when my work was done, of course] in high school. Her books are one of my guilty pleasures. And, truly, I love her books. Whereas, I tolerate Twilight.) ... No wonder he was shocked.

(You have to give him points, though, for knowing that there is a show based on those books. It's on the WB CWTV. And called "The Vampire Diaries." ... I've heard that it's good. But that it doesn't stick to the plot lines in the books. I'm willing to give it a shot.

So, in my opinion, TrueBlood = EPIC FAIL.

If I can't even make it through a pilot without having to turn it off ... well, you've lost any chance of me watching the show.

It ticks me off something fierce, too. Because I was really ready to LOVE it. If it didn't have gratuitous sexxxins and tons of cussing. (I can handle a few sh**, maybe one f-bomb every couple episodes, ... I can totally handle "crap," "hell," and "damn" ... If you're gonna cuss a bunch, though ... Either don't do it or be cool like Firefly and do it with different words (C'mon, we TOTALLY know what they're saying when they use terms like "gorram" or "rutting.") or insults in Mandarin (I totally used "gosa" ["crap"] in the shower this morning).

So ... yeah. I think that you get my point. That I was not impressed with TrueBlood.

And I really, really wanted to be!

(Just like how I wanted to LOVE Mad Men ... and, truly, the costuming and props are DIVINE ... but, DUDE, EVERYTHING's about sex. sexsexsexsexsex ... Meh. We didn't even complete the whole season before losing interest. And it even had YoSafBridge in it!!!!!!!! And I love her!!! ... If you don't know who YoSafBridge is, you have not watched all of Firefly. Go forth, do so. Love it. Those are your commands.)

Now, I'm giving HBO one more chance. I'm going to check out season one of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. Because I love, love, love, love, love that series.

(Seriously, this is a book series without swearing and sex scenes. I feel uplifted and happy when I read any of the books. This book series is a total GEM, I tell you,. It's really different from anything that I've read before. And I love it. Have I mentioned that????)
So, HBO, if you've screwed this one up, you are dead to me.

(Signed, Allanna -- who wishes that all movies would be PG-13 or lower. 'Cause I don't need to be seeing people in their altogether or hearing the f-bomb, well, EVER. Thanks, smooches, bye!)