party_pete
12th Sep '09 Sat, 21:44
http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/photos/9/3/1/1_42d7b5097a1adca/9311pre.jpg
Even before The CW turned "The Vampire Diaries" into a series, it was impossible to avoid sexy bloodsuckers in pop culture. And although the young-adult novels that inspired the drama were published way back in 1991 – years before Sookie Stackhouse or Bella and Edward were created – we can't help but compare the show to the popular "True Blood" and "Twilight" series. Here's how all three stack up against each other.
http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/photos/9/3/1/0_a0c0a30991318b7/9310pre.jpg
The Ingénue
True Blood: Sookie. She's a waitress with psychic abilities and an open mind. She's proud of her vampire boyfriend, has powered through some really tragic emotional times and makes some remarkably stupid decisions because she's just too trusting.
Twilight: Bella. She's a moody high school student who longs for her vampire boyfriend to turn her into an immortal so that she can be young forever.
Vampire Diaries: Elena. She's a gorgeous dark-haired girl with a hard past, but she's drawn the interest of two undead brothers who have a centuries-long grudge against each other.
Winner: Sookie. While she can make moronic life choices, she's strong-minded, can defend herself in perilous situations and is generally pretty damned adorable.
http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/photos/9/3/0/9_d4837e5080a3fdd/9309pre.jpg
Good Vampire Boyfriend
True Blood: Bill is a Civil War vet, and Sookie's neighbor, with a teenage "daughter" on his hands and some old-fashioned ideas about how to treat a lady.
Twilight: Edward is a dreamy high school student with a big family who has an instant connection to Bella's scent. He's moody and often disappears for long periods of time, but mostly because he has his girlfriend's best interests at heart.
Vampire Diaries: Stefan is a Renaissance man from classic Italy who is immediately drawn to Elena because she looks like his dead ex-girlfriend.
Winner: Edward. He's sulky at times, but he's more appealing than Stefan and seems to have way less baggage than Bill.
http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/photos/9/3/0/8_cbb92b5ef6703c7/9308pre.jpg
Bad Vampire Boyfriend
True Blood: The threatening Viking bar owner Eric may not be Sookie's actual boyfriend, but the two share a blood-connection that has led to some very racy sex fantasies.
Twilight: One vampire is enough for Bella, and though she does get taunted a lot by Edward's brother Emmett, there's no real attraction there.
Vampire Diaries: Damon is Stefan's dark brother, who has the ability to shape-shift, and is also compelled to stalk Elena because she looks like his dead ex-girlfriend (Damon and Stefan share a dead ex-girlfriend, naturally).
Winner: Close call here since Damon is pretty awesome, but we're giving this one to the charmingly evil Eric.
http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/photos/9/3/0/7_bd4ee5d01275dcc/9307pre.jpg
The Small Towns
True Blood: Sookie lives in the Southern town of Bon Temps, which isn't ideal for vampires trying to hide out, but it works in this scenario since vamps have gone public. There are special bars for fans of the fanged ones and synthetic blood, though some members of this town don't take too well to supernatural sorts.
Twilight: Bella has relocated to Forks, a dreary tiny community in the state of Washington, where it's constantly raining or at least overcast, making it a great place for vamps trying to cover up their sparkliness. The townspeople know that there is something off about the Cullen clan, but as long as they stay to themselves, no one raises much of a stir.
Vampire Diaries: Elena hails from Fell's Church, Virginia. Her high school seems pretty typical of suburban America, and people are skeptical about the outsiders, especially when a rash of violence breaks out.
Winner: Fell's Church. It has the best weather and doesn't have a nagging maenad or serial killer around to cause community-wide orgies or deaths.
http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/photos/9/3/0/6_dd82384f915393f/9306pre.jpg
The Shape-Shifter Guys
True Blood: Sam's the sweet bar owner who is sweet on Sookie, but she really has no interest in him. So this adorable guy -- who most often turns into a dog, but can become just about any animal he's imprinted on -- spends his time playing dirty billiards with devious shape-shifting waitresses instead.
Twilight: Jacob is totally in love with Bella, but she mostly has eyes for Edward. However, that doesn't keep the sexy, warm werewolf from protecting the girl of his dreams at all costs, or from attempting to win her affection along the way.
Vampire Diaries: Damon's not only a vamp, but he's also a shape-shifter and most frequently turns himself into a menacing looking crow.
Winner: Jacob. Sam's merely huggable and Damon's slightly terrifying, so this good-hearted Native American boy, who turns himself into a vicious killer to protect his loved ones, wins by a mile.
http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/photos/9/3/0/5_6a8571199aa14ee/9305pre.jpg
The Forces of Evil
True Blood: Sookie and Bill have many different enemies to battle, from the local serial killer who hated vampires to the menacing vamp-hating cult called the Fellowship of the Sun to the mysterious Maryann the maenad (and her minions) who likes to cause chaos. This pair really has their hands full.
Twilight: There's a bad coven, who strongly disagree with the Cullens' way of life, what with its aversion to hunting humans and all. The coven, led by a vengeful Victoria, are after Bella in order to get even with the Cullens.
Vampire Diaries: Damon. He's the show's primary evildoer, murdering locals and making life miserable for happy couple Stefan and Elena.
Winner: True Blood's multitude of craziness because it includes messed-up humans as well as supernatural beings all congregating to try to take down Sookie and her friends.
http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/photos/9/3/0/4_b04f08fb3d8bfae/9304pre.jpg
The Tough Female Vampires
True Blood: Pam. She's Eric's right-hand woman and looks fierce in coordinates. She's got a tough bark and an even worse bite, especially if someone messes with her shoes.
Twilight: Rosalie's used to being the queen bee/mean girl of both the Cullen clan and her high school. She's stunningly beautiful, and she knows it, and doesn't take kindly to Bella getting all the attention.
Vampire Diaries: Katherine was torn between loving two brothers, so she turned them both into vampires and then killed herself, leaving them to try to destroy each other for hundreds of years to come.
Winner: Katherine didn't necessarily know she was being a bitch and Rosalie thrives on being a bitch, but Pam could literally bite the head off of a small child and laugh about it, so she's by far the best bitch in town.
http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/photos/9/3/0/3_31db2dbf71ce6d1/9303pre.jpg
The Vampire Rules
True Blood: The bloodsuckers on this show abide by most of the common vampire rules: They can't go out in the sun without turning into a fritter, can be killed by stakes or by beheading, need to drink blood (though synthetic is acceptable), have super speed and can fly (or at least some can). They also have a remarkably complex governing system with local sheriffs and queens.
Twilight: While you could kill one of these vamps with a stake, the sun is not their enemy in the traditional sense of the word. They don't get burnt to a crisp; instead, they get all sparkly in the sunlight. They also have a strong affinity for baseball, and use their super speediness to their advantage.
Vampire Diaries: These vamps can go out in the sun, but only when wearing a special piece of jewelry that keeps them safe. Some can shape-shift, but they do like to drink blood and keep their identities a secret.
Winner: Again, a close call between the Vampire Diaries and True Blood, since we like the clever conceit of allowing the vamps to exist in daylight, but we far prefer our undead to be more akin to classic creatures of the night, so we're giving the upper hand to TB.
http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/photos/9/3/0/2_19cf5f31d3eb824/9302pre.jpg
By the Book?
True Blood: Hits some of the major plot points and character traits, but has gone its own way and invented new characters, kept some alive and embellished a lot of details.
Twilight: Extremely loyal to the books -- painstakingly so, in fact -- since the fans quibble over any slight alteration or omission.
Vampire Diaries: Based on the pilot alone, very loyal, but the producers are going to have to do a lot to stretch this into a weekly series.
Winner: Vampire Diaries did come first in the literary world, but we're digging the fact that True Blood is willing to take chances and make changes to the source material that usually pay off.
http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/photos/9/3/0/1_aba3c12d28170b7/9301pre.jpg
The Romance
True Blood: Sookie loves Bill, but it's a slightly strange love given that when his blood saved her life, it may have put her under his thrall somehow. And she's tied to Eric, too, so she's had mixed feelings about the man who seems to let her down at the most inopportune times.
Twilight: Bella and Edward are complete and utter soul mates and are bound and determined to be together for all eternity (even though Bella briefly flirted with Jacob). It's all very pure and sweet.
Vampire Diaries: Elena is torn between two brothers, much like her doppelganger Katherine was years ago, as she's got a great love and attraction for both of them.
Winner: If you want vamp romance, then Elena's life is the one to follow. Sookie's got her share of sexy adventures, but Elena's really got the classic love story and two hot siblings vying for her love -- who wouldn't want that?
Even before The CW turned "The Vampire Diaries" into a series, it was impossible to avoid sexy bloodsuckers in pop culture. And although the young-adult novels that inspired the drama were published way back in 1991 – years before Sookie Stackhouse or Bella and Edward were created – we can't help but compare the show to the popular "True Blood" and "Twilight" series. Here's how all three stack up against each other.
http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/photos/9/3/1/0_a0c0a30991318b7/9310pre.jpg
The Ingénue
True Blood: Sookie. She's a waitress with psychic abilities and an open mind. She's proud of her vampire boyfriend, has powered through some really tragic emotional times and makes some remarkably stupid decisions because she's just too trusting.
Twilight: Bella. She's a moody high school student who longs for her vampire boyfriend to turn her into an immortal so that she can be young forever.
Vampire Diaries: Elena. She's a gorgeous dark-haired girl with a hard past, but she's drawn the interest of two undead brothers who have a centuries-long grudge against each other.
Winner: Sookie. While she can make moronic life choices, she's strong-minded, can defend herself in perilous situations and is generally pretty damned adorable.
http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/photos/9/3/0/9_d4837e5080a3fdd/9309pre.jpg
Good Vampire Boyfriend
True Blood: Bill is a Civil War vet, and Sookie's neighbor, with a teenage "daughter" on his hands and some old-fashioned ideas about how to treat a lady.
Twilight: Edward is a dreamy high school student with a big family who has an instant connection to Bella's scent. He's moody and often disappears for long periods of time, but mostly because he has his girlfriend's best interests at heart.
Vampire Diaries: Stefan is a Renaissance man from classic Italy who is immediately drawn to Elena because she looks like his dead ex-girlfriend.
Winner: Edward. He's sulky at times, but he's more appealing than Stefan and seems to have way less baggage than Bill.
http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/photos/9/3/0/8_cbb92b5ef6703c7/9308pre.jpg
Bad Vampire Boyfriend
True Blood: The threatening Viking bar owner Eric may not be Sookie's actual boyfriend, but the two share a blood-connection that has led to some very racy sex fantasies.
Twilight: One vampire is enough for Bella, and though she does get taunted a lot by Edward's brother Emmett, there's no real attraction there.
Vampire Diaries: Damon is Stefan's dark brother, who has the ability to shape-shift, and is also compelled to stalk Elena because she looks like his dead ex-girlfriend (Damon and Stefan share a dead ex-girlfriend, naturally).
Winner: Close call here since Damon is pretty awesome, but we're giving this one to the charmingly evil Eric.
http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/photos/9/3/0/7_bd4ee5d01275dcc/9307pre.jpg
The Small Towns
True Blood: Sookie lives in the Southern town of Bon Temps, which isn't ideal for vampires trying to hide out, but it works in this scenario since vamps have gone public. There are special bars for fans of the fanged ones and synthetic blood, though some members of this town don't take too well to supernatural sorts.
Twilight: Bella has relocated to Forks, a dreary tiny community in the state of Washington, where it's constantly raining or at least overcast, making it a great place for vamps trying to cover up their sparkliness. The townspeople know that there is something off about the Cullen clan, but as long as they stay to themselves, no one raises much of a stir.
Vampire Diaries: Elena hails from Fell's Church, Virginia. Her high school seems pretty typical of suburban America, and people are skeptical about the outsiders, especially when a rash of violence breaks out.
Winner: Fell's Church. It has the best weather and doesn't have a nagging maenad or serial killer around to cause community-wide orgies or deaths.
http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/photos/9/3/0/6_dd82384f915393f/9306pre.jpg
The Shape-Shifter Guys
True Blood: Sam's the sweet bar owner who is sweet on Sookie, but she really has no interest in him. So this adorable guy -- who most often turns into a dog, but can become just about any animal he's imprinted on -- spends his time playing dirty billiards with devious shape-shifting waitresses instead.
Twilight: Jacob is totally in love with Bella, but she mostly has eyes for Edward. However, that doesn't keep the sexy, warm werewolf from protecting the girl of his dreams at all costs, or from attempting to win her affection along the way.
Vampire Diaries: Damon's not only a vamp, but he's also a shape-shifter and most frequently turns himself into a menacing looking crow.
Winner: Jacob. Sam's merely huggable and Damon's slightly terrifying, so this good-hearted Native American boy, who turns himself into a vicious killer to protect his loved ones, wins by a mile.
http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/photos/9/3/0/5_6a8571199aa14ee/9305pre.jpg
The Forces of Evil
True Blood: Sookie and Bill have many different enemies to battle, from the local serial killer who hated vampires to the menacing vamp-hating cult called the Fellowship of the Sun to the mysterious Maryann the maenad (and her minions) who likes to cause chaos. This pair really has their hands full.
Twilight: There's a bad coven, who strongly disagree with the Cullens' way of life, what with its aversion to hunting humans and all. The coven, led by a vengeful Victoria, are after Bella in order to get even with the Cullens.
Vampire Diaries: Damon. He's the show's primary evildoer, murdering locals and making life miserable for happy couple Stefan and Elena.
Winner: True Blood's multitude of craziness because it includes messed-up humans as well as supernatural beings all congregating to try to take down Sookie and her friends.
http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/photos/9/3/0/4_b04f08fb3d8bfae/9304pre.jpg
The Tough Female Vampires
True Blood: Pam. She's Eric's right-hand woman and looks fierce in coordinates. She's got a tough bark and an even worse bite, especially if someone messes with her shoes.
Twilight: Rosalie's used to being the queen bee/mean girl of both the Cullen clan and her high school. She's stunningly beautiful, and she knows it, and doesn't take kindly to Bella getting all the attention.
Vampire Diaries: Katherine was torn between loving two brothers, so she turned them both into vampires and then killed herself, leaving them to try to destroy each other for hundreds of years to come.
Winner: Katherine didn't necessarily know she was being a bitch and Rosalie thrives on being a bitch, but Pam could literally bite the head off of a small child and laugh about it, so she's by far the best bitch in town.
http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/photos/9/3/0/3_31db2dbf71ce6d1/9303pre.jpg
The Vampire Rules
True Blood: The bloodsuckers on this show abide by most of the common vampire rules: They can't go out in the sun without turning into a fritter, can be killed by stakes or by beheading, need to drink blood (though synthetic is acceptable), have super speed and can fly (or at least some can). They also have a remarkably complex governing system with local sheriffs and queens.
Twilight: While you could kill one of these vamps with a stake, the sun is not their enemy in the traditional sense of the word. They don't get burnt to a crisp; instead, they get all sparkly in the sunlight. They also have a strong affinity for baseball, and use their super speediness to their advantage.
Vampire Diaries: These vamps can go out in the sun, but only when wearing a special piece of jewelry that keeps them safe. Some can shape-shift, but they do like to drink blood and keep their identities a secret.
Winner: Again, a close call between the Vampire Diaries and True Blood, since we like the clever conceit of allowing the vamps to exist in daylight, but we far prefer our undead to be more akin to classic creatures of the night, so we're giving the upper hand to TB.
http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/photos/9/3/0/2_19cf5f31d3eb824/9302pre.jpg
By the Book?
True Blood: Hits some of the major plot points and character traits, but has gone its own way and invented new characters, kept some alive and embellished a lot of details.
Twilight: Extremely loyal to the books -- painstakingly so, in fact -- since the fans quibble over any slight alteration or omission.
Vampire Diaries: Based on the pilot alone, very loyal, but the producers are going to have to do a lot to stretch this into a weekly series.
Winner: Vampire Diaries did come first in the literary world, but we're digging the fact that True Blood is willing to take chances and make changes to the source material that usually pay off.
http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/photos/9/3/0/1_aba3c12d28170b7/9301pre.jpg
The Romance
True Blood: Sookie loves Bill, but it's a slightly strange love given that when his blood saved her life, it may have put her under his thrall somehow. And she's tied to Eric, too, so she's had mixed feelings about the man who seems to let her down at the most inopportune times.
Twilight: Bella and Edward are complete and utter soul mates and are bound and determined to be together for all eternity (even though Bella briefly flirted with Jacob). It's all very pure and sweet.
Vampire Diaries: Elena is torn between two brothers, much like her doppelganger Katherine was years ago, as she's got a great love and attraction for both of them.
Winner: If you want vamp romance, then Elena's life is the one to follow. Sookie's got her share of sexy adventures, but Elena's really got the classic love story and two hot siblings vying for her love -- who wouldn't want that?