Stephenie Meyer Sued for Copyright Infringement

An author who accused Stephenie Meyer, the writer of the best-selling “Twilight” novels, of plagiarism has filed suit against her, Reuters reported.

Earlier this month, a lawyer for Jordan Scott, the author of the 2006 vampire novel “The Nocturne,” sent a cease-and-desist letter to Ms. Meyer’s publisher, Hachette Book Group, that said her work contains many situations that are similar to those in Ms. Meyer’s 2008 book “Breaking Dawn,” the fourth entry in her series about a romance between a mortal woman and an undead vampire. A lawsuit filed Wednesday in federal court in California reiterated those similarities, noting, for example, that both books contained passages about a wedding and an after-wedding sex scene on a beach. Hachette Book Group said that Ms. Meyer had based “Breaking Dawn” on an earlier, unpublished sequel to “Twilight” that she wrote. The publisher called the suit a “publicity stunt to further Ms. Scott’s career,” and said it expected the court would dismiss it, according to Reuters.

Ian Somerhalder on Vampire Diaries

If Paul Wesley plays the sweet and broody vampire Stefan on The Vampire Diaries, Ian Somerhalder is the counterpoint. As Stefan’s vampire brother Damon, Somerhalder is more like the vampire we read about in Bram Stoker.

Ian Somerhalder Writes in His Vampire Diaries

“He’s angry,” Somerhalder said. “He feels like he’s been wronged, very badly, and he wants vengeance and redemption. However, he is lonely. He’s the most lonely person I’ve ever known. Imagine being 170 years old. However old you are, at this point in time, imagine thinking about how much you know about life and quadrupling that, and seeing all the people you’ve ever known die around you. That probably makes you very cynical and lonely.”

That’s deep, but Somerhalder is having fun. “It’s so much fun. That’s why he’s so fun. Violence and brutality, for me, is never okay. I’m not a violent or brutal person, in the least bit. I’m actually really passive. But, his violence and brutality stems from someplace. Even people who are bad, do it for reasons. The reason why people like the bad boy in a film, a show, a book or a play is because they have so much fun doing what they’re doing, while they’re doing it. And, there’s something that’s interesting and enticing about watching someone like that. Even if he’s being mean, he’s having fun doing it. So, as humans, we’re sickly drawn to that, and we’re all guilty of it.”

Looking into Damon’s background gave Somerhalder even more fuel for the rage. “It’s intense. Even people who are bad, it all stems from a place. It’s coming from a place. When we’re good to people, it’s coming from a good place. When we’re bad to people, it’s coming from a bad place. But, we all have a reason for what we’re doing, and Damon’s is pretty justified. He feels as though he was hurt very badly in the past, and wronged very deeply, so he’s ticked off and he’s ready for some vengeance. It’s going to be interesting. He has reasons for everything he does, so there will be shifts. The whole idea is that Damon has lost all humanity, but we will see different sides of him, as the season starts to play out. "

Just like an actor, the villain is never really a bad guy. “He’s a very dynamic, very complicated character. The relationship between Stefan, Damon and Elena is getting away from just this teen soap show. They’re very complicated relationships.”

Of course, that’s for several weeks of television to reveal. “There are so many elements that are going to dictate that because of the mythology of it all. These two brothers have very different views on life. Damon has decided to not dismiss his heritage, which is, unfortunately, feeding on people. That’s what vampires do. It’s like if a human being decided to stop eating, essentially. And, Stefan, because of his love for people or just his desire to not have to brutally kill them, has decided not to, which makes it invariably difficult to hang out. And so, there are going to be a lot of twists and turns that are going to illustrate how different they are, and the bouncing back and forth of good to bad and bad to good. There are so many places that they can go.”

The Vampire Diaries premieres September 10 on The CW. .

'Vampire Diaries' Creator Is Excited And Energized For The New CW Series

With vampires all the rage with the kids these days, it makes sense for The CW to get into the vampire romance business. Luckily there was another series of vampire books they could turn into their series, The Vampire Diaries. Produced by Dawson's Creek creator Kevin Williamson, this is not just another teen drama. While it is about a teenage girl who falls in love with a vampire, Williamson said the show is more about small town secrets than high school romance.

"The town wakes up to [the vampires] relatively quick and tries to do something about it," Williamson said. "We don't know exactly who is it in the town, who are these people that figure it out. We have a character coming in, in a couple of episodes that is another series regular that steps in and he comes with an agenda."

Even the concept of the diary is a bit quaint to modern day kids. "A lot of people write journal on a computer now, but Elena's mother is the one who gave her that journal and explained to her the importance of journaling. So she writes in her journal. It is a connection to her mother. It is really a nice way to sort of open up a story, begin a story and close a story. It is a really great bookend.

The show is sort of in Williamson's old stomping grounds. Dawson's was a flagship WB show, and Diaries airs on the combo-network The CW. "When I was working with The WB when it was just beginning, and it was just sort of starting out and there was like this enthusiasm and excitement, that kind of exists with The CW so it energizes me. So am I having a great time. They have been great. So they have been very supportive of the show and so it is nice. They kind of create a whole family environment. It is nice, they are still a small network. I do really well with a roomful of people as opposed to a lot of cooks in the kitchen, so it has been very intimate."

Vampire Diaries premieres September 10 on The CW.

'The Vampire Diaries'

Four months after the tragic car accident that killed their parents, 17-year-old Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev, “DeGrassi: The Next Generation”) and her 15-year-old brother, Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen, “Everwood”), are still adjusting to their new reality. Elena has always been the star student; beautiful, popular and involved with school and friends, but now she finds herself struggling to hide her grief from the world. Elena and Jeremy are now living with their cool-but-overwhelmed Aunt Jenna (Sara Canning, “Smallville”), who is doing her best to be a surrogate parent.

Fall TV Preview

The Vampire Diaries 9 p.m. Sept. 10, CW. While it might seem as if this series is just a poser for CW to cash in on the Twilight/True Blood vampire wave, the books for this series came before either one. Lost's Ian Somerhalder plays the bad vamp brother, vying with good vamp brother for the love of a high school girl. Three Notes.

'The Good Wife,' 'The Vampire Diaries': Fall's likeliest new hits

"The Good Wife" is the best bet.

The Julianna Margulies drama, about the wife of a disgraced politician, should be the big new hit this fall. Timely and engrossing, "The Good Wife" makes you care about its title character.

But each broadcast network has reason to hope, and this fall's crop is a lot more exciting than last fall's. Here's a look at what's coming by network:

ABC

Likely hit: The Disney-owned network has the most ambitious plans. Its best hope could be the sassy sex comedy "Cougar Town," which brings back appealing Courteney Cox as a divorcee. It's not the second coming of "Friends," yet the slapstick goofiness produces guffaws.

Best show: "Modern Family," a comedy with Ed O'Neill, has earned critics' raves for its touching take on families. But it's "mockumentary" style could limit the audience. More enjoyable is ABC's lavish updating of "V," about extraterrestrials' frightening plans for mankind. Elizabeth Mitchell of "Lost" stars.

Familiar fare: "Eastwick," based on John Updike's "Witches of Eastwick," might be called "Desperate Witches." "The Middle," a pleasant sitcom with Patricia Heaton, is a milder "Malcolm in the Middle." "FlashForward," epic sci-fi about what happens after the world blacks out, tries to recapture the early allure of "Lost." That won't be easy.

Least likely to succeed: I love Kelsey Grammer, but I didn't love "Hank," a blah comedy about a corporate titan trying to reconnect with his family. "The Forgotten," a crime drama with Christian Slater, won't have an easy time opposite "The Good Wife."

CBS

Likely hit: "The Good Wife," because it's the perfect CBS show in the same way that "The Mentalist" was the perfect CBS show. And "The Mentalist" with Simon Baker was the big new hit last fall.

Best show: "The Good Wife" again. I most want to see its second episode. It's a terrific showcase for Margulies, who has many fans from "ER." The wife has to re-enter the work force after her husband goes to prison, and you pull for her. The choice supporting cast includes Chris Noth and Christine Baranski.

Familiar fare: "NCIS: Los Angeles" is a spinoff stationed right after the Mark HarmonJenna ElfmanAccidentally on Purpose." She plays a movie critic who becomes pregnant by a younger man, and he becomes her roommate. Would her critic like the show? I doubt it. original. The "NCIS" fans saw the characters introduced last spring. In comedy, is back in "

Least likely to succeed: "Three Rivers" is a well-meaning drama about organ transplants. It also brings back Alex O'Loughlin, the heartthrob from "Moonlight." But the soggy show has a lot of problems and needs transplants itself. The good news: Alfre Woodard has come aboard.

Fox

Likely hit: "The Cleveland Show" is a "Family Guy" spinoff that sends Cleveland Brown off on his own adventures. "Family Guy" fans should be overjoyed.

Best show: "Glee" is an outrageous musical-comedy set in a high school. Fox aired the pilot in the spring, and the next episodes are stronger. The series showcases fine singing, an affectionate approach to oddball characters and some wacky comedy. Jane Lynch stands out as a cheerleading coach.

Familiar fare: "Brothers" is an uneven sitcom about estranged brothers who bicker a lot. What fun! The brothers are played by Michael Strahan and Daryl "Chill" Mitchell. The best moments go to CCH Pounder of "The Shield" as their determined mother.

Least likely to succeed: "Brothers," because it's going to face a rough time at 8 p.m. Fridays.

NBC

Likely hit: The progress of "The Jay Leno Show" will be the most closely followed story this fall. Can the former host of "The Tonight Show" succeed at 10 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. It's an unconventional move by desperate NBC. My bet is that Leno will do well enough.

Best show: "Community" is an acerbic comedy about the misfits at a community college. Joel McHale of "The Soup" plays a wisecracking student, and Chevy Chase displays a subtle style as another student. It should fit right in with "The Office" and "30 Rock."

Familiar fare: "Trauma" is a flashy, frenetic drama about first-responder paramedics. It looks like "ER" transposed to the streets. "Mercy" is a sudsy medical drama about three female nurses and their romantic fortunes. In the season after "ER" left the schedule, NBC drama is on life support.

Least likely to succeed: It's a tossup between "Trauma" and "Mercy." "Trauma" has the tougher time slot and the less appealing cast. Maybe NBC can expand "Today" to night.

The CW

Likely hit: "The Vampire Diaries" is a big, engrossing drama based on the L.J. Smith books. It should appeal to fans of "Twilight" and "True Blood."

Best show: Again, "The Vampire Diaries," because it's so compelling and has an attractive cast. Vampire Stefan (Paul Wesley) goes to high school, and grief-stricken Elena (Nina Dobrev) falls hard. You can see why because Stefan has a powerful impact.

Familiar fare: You can't get more familiar than "Melrose Place," a glossy updating of the old Fox favorite. Laura Leighton and Thomas Calabro repeat their roles. The new show has lined up Josie Bissett and Daphne Zuniga for guest roles. Then there's "The Beautiful Life: TBL," a glossy look at the lives of young models. Mischa Barton plays an older model with lots of problems.

Least likely to succeed: Will America fall for "Melrose Place" all over again? Television has moved on, and there are so many appealing alternatives in 2009.

Vampires, Vampires, Everywhere!

Well, it’s official: we’ve become vampire-obsessed. And I’m not just talking tuning in to Buffy the Vampire Slayer reruns every so often, either. Everywhere you turn, whether in words, actions, t-shirts, bumper stickers, and other paraphernalia, echoes the imploring phrase: “bite me.” However, what remains the most intriguing (other than the sudden desire to be punctured) is the fact that the bloodsucking institution is not a new one – Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the masterpiece that started it all, was written in 1897, for crying out loud. So why the sudden fixation on the cold, pale undead?

Naturally, the most scientific way to assess the magnitude of this phenomenon was a simple search on Google. Type in ‘vampire’, and you’re returned with 55,500,000 results in a cool 0.23 seconds. If you fancy refining your search, the same query on Bing brings back a still impressive 51,600,000 hits. The truth is, vampires have managed to stage a sort of benign invasion into the consumer consciousness, now ubiquitous to every form of life. Don’t believe me? Check out the latest in vampire media:

Meet the newest TV vampires

True Blood
A show I believed to be cheaply riding the success of Stephenie Meyer’s hugely popular Twilight Saga has grown into a phenomenon in its own right. Already invested in season 3 for the summer of 2010, HBO’s television drama was a hit from the beginning, racking up several nominations and a Golden Globe for its very first season. The story itself comes from The Southern Vampire Mysteries, also known as The Sookie Sackhouse Series (say that five times fast) by Charlaine Harris.

Careful -- they bite.

Vampire Diaries
Watch out Gossip Girl – your new replacement boasts fewer handbags and more handsome bloodsuckers. The CW is reported to have reunited with Dawson’s Creek writer Kevin Williamson and picked up the show, based on the book series of the same name by L.J. Smith. Relax, there’s no longer much of a wait: the show is set to premiere on September 10th of this year.

Vampire-Con
Yes, you read correctly. And it seems only natural – the incredible popularity of the Comic Con Convention for nerdy fandom of all kinds has finally been followed with the first ever vampire convention, which hit Hollywood, CA August 14-16. Complete with True Blood discussions, and Vampire Film Festival, and a ball in honor of comic book heroine Vampirella, the vampire-lovers even teamed up with Bram Stoker’s estate with a discussion panel featuring his great grand-nephew.

One of many bloody reads

Vampire Lit
And if that’s not enough to convince you, it’s nothing compared to the veritable deluge of books following in Stoker’s footsteps. There are the individual novels: Sucks to be Me: The All-true Confessions of Mina Hamilton, Teen Vampire (Maybe) by Kimberly Pauley, Suck It Up by Brian Meehl, Tantalize by Cynthia Smith and Thicker Than Water by Carla Jablonski. And of course, we can’t forget the series: Night World and Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith, and House of the Night by Kristen and P.C. Cast.

Though I’ve thrown a plethora of media at you, we’re still no closer to discovering why, after keeping a low-profile nocturnal existence for years, the vamps have suddenly captured our attention. Magazines, tabloids and internet publications left and right have experts on the case, but no one is really sure of an answer – much like no reader over the age of 18 can’t readily explain why they’re in love with Twilight. However, Newsweek’s Joan Raymond makes a crucial observation: today’s undead are nowhere near as creepy as their predecessors. The sex metaphor of sucking blood has taken a very drastic turn for the teenage world, and has even demurred itself for older audiences. These days, the defanged, chaste and sparkly (well, in certain cases) are walking among us, rather than rising from their coffins. The cruel sexual predators are instead becoming a symbol of the hardships of fitting in, of a race working against their nature to be good in the face of temptation. Almost biblical, no?

Whatever the direction, it has only served to heighten the female desire for fanged love. Between the unspeakable dangers and exotic appeal, vampires are, to speak plainly, powerful. They’re essentially invincible; some have even spiced up their repertoires with extra supernatural abilities. And immortality isn’t overlooked either, even in a culture that’s staying younger longer than ever before. Most importantly, the vampire myth is perpetually tied to adolescence, of all things. The forbidden love, the need for something you can’t have – or simply the desire of something you shouldn’t – is something that recalls the teenage years more than anything else. Apparently, it’s become widely acceptable for the middle-aged to relive their teens. And as long as we have Robert Pattinson, we’re ok with that.