Taylor Lautner and Lily Collins in the movie Abduction.

Taylor Lautner rose to fame as the werewolf Jacob Black in the movies based on Stephenie Meyer’s monster blockbuster the Twilight Saga. He is the third wheel in the love triangle that consists of him, Bella Swan and the sparkly vampire Edward Cullen. When rumors began to swirl after the first movie that Lautner might be replaced in the next films, millions of fans rallied behind the actor and petitioned for him to retain the role of Jacob for the remaining films in the franchise. It was a successful campaign as we all know now and I think a lot of it had to do not just with the passionate reaction of the fans, but also with the big slabs of beefcake muscle Lautner put on to better fit the part of werewolf.

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Twilight has infused the careers of a few of its actors with the clout needed to land leading roles. Kristen Stewart won critical acclaim for her role as Joan Jett in The Runaways (though she already had a pretty solid career, Twilight brought her into the spotlight). Robert Pattinson scored the lead love interest role alongside Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon in the movie Water for Elephants, while Jamie Campbell Bower went on to land the kingly role of Arthur in the Starz series Camelot.

Studios take notice of those actors who can draw an audience, harnessing their star power to bring in big numbers and hence big bucks. It is plainly obvious that though fairly young, Lautner has a huge following and studios are hoping that his success so far will translate into major bankability at the box office as a leading man.

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In the movie Abduction Lautner plays Nathan Price, a young guy who discovers that the people who raised him aren’t his biological parents. This discovery sets into motion events that has Nathan running for his life. In the trailer Lautner has a lot of moves that are reminiscent of Matt Damon in the Jason Bourne franchise of films. In fact, Lautner could very well be the next action movie star as well as a leading man.

The presence of Sigourney Weaver and Alfred Molina lend the film Abduction some necessary gravitas but it’s Lautner’s skills that will be under the microscope. There is a lot riding on him to make this film successful. There is no doubt that Lautner’s presence alone will draw a huge female audience, but will that be enough to not only kickstart but sustain his career in Hollywood as a guy that has the power to draw in a wide demographic range of viewers?

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Abduction is the first role for Lautner as a leading man and I’m curious what the box office numbers will be on Monday for his first solo performance. The success of Abduction rests firmly upon his heavily muscled shoulders and this weekend’s outcome will definitely answer the question of whether or not Taylor Lautner can be a leading man. If the bevy of fans screaming in adulation is any indication then there is every possibility that he can be.

Abduction is in theaters today.

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Hello Truebies! Has the #TBwithdrawal started to sink in yet? #WaitingSucks as usual and we have a loooong way to go before season 5 hits the tube so I thought I’d entertain you with a little True Blood fix and a dash of Alexander Skarsgard.

If you are in the US you have probably already seen this, though I doubt you’ll mind watching this again! For my Canadian readers this is a little treat for you since you may not have had the chance to see it. It’s a micro interview with ASkars himself talking a little bit about Eric and True Blood season 5.

Alexander Skarsgard Talks Eric and True Blood Season 5 via MTV

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Then we move on to a segment with the Swede who is being interviewed by Extra’s Maria Menounos (lucky girl!) about his role in the movie Straw Dogs which is in theaters now. It’s a role that is very different from anything I’ve seen him in and it’s a movie that is controversial in many ways.

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Lastly we have a clip from SideReel with a little True Blood news. Seems Skarsgard’s dad the venerable Stellan Skarsgard was invited for a stint on the hit HBO vampire show. Did he accept? Find out in the video below!

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The original Straw Dogs film was directed by Sam Peckinpah in 1971 and had distinctly controversial subject matter. The concepts of rape, murder and violence was not mainstream material to portray in graphic detail on film. If we judge the film by today’s standards, considering what we see on primetime cable, will this remake directed by Rod Lurie raise as many eyebrows and cause as much furor as it did in the ’70′s? Will it be any more or less controversial now in the year 2011? Are we more or less culturally sensitive now as opposed to 1971? Unless our views on morality and these disturbing issues have changed radically since 1971, I’m certain this remake will at the least garner intrinsically shocked reactions and leave open to question as to how much is too much to depict in film.

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Yet the buzz surrounding this film isn’t only because of the sinister subject matter or its dauntless director Rod Lurie. It’s due mainly to the casting of a Swedish actor whose star is on a meteoric rise. Alexander Skarsgard has gained the attention of fame due to his quasi villainous role as roguish Viking vampire Eric Northman on True Blood. Unlike his loveable, antihero vampire persona on the HBO hit which just concluded its 4th season, Skarsgard’s role as Charlie Venner in Straw Dogs is one that is unlikeable in the extreme. There is no mistaking the fact that Skarsgard is a true villain in the remake of the Peckinpah psychological thriller.

Though both the remake and the original film are based on the novel The Seige of Trencher’s Farm written by Gordon Williams, this new version of the film is different from the original.

The Straw Dogs story centers around L.A. screenwriter David Sumner and his wife Amy. They relocate to her hometown in the deep South and they come into contact with Amy’s ex, Charlie Venner and his crew. Tensions begin to rise between the locals and the Sumners, and the building conflict escalates into violence which threatens their lives.

Skarsgard’s character commits a heinous act that makes him a true villain of the meanest sort and it’s a role that we haven’t seen Skarsgard portray as of yet.

Charlie Venner is truly a detestable character and Skarsgard has promised that he tried to bring a three dimensional quality to David Sumner’s nemesis. Characters like Charlie Venner are risks and challenging to take on. An actor must be confident in his ability in order to go over to the dark side and explore the boundaries of their commitment to the craft of acting. And that was the appeal of the project for Skarsgard. It was a chance for him to better understand his own darker impulses.

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In an interview earlier this year in the L.A. Times, Skarsgard is asked about his role in the film:

“Look around,” he said, “people are always, big shiny white teeth, big smiles, everything’s fantastic. How sincere is that? Are people really genuinely that happy all the time or is there something in there that they’re trying to fight? I know I am. I think it’s really good to acknowledge that there is that inner battle. Of course that’s interesting exploring. It’s scary and it’s dangerous, but it opens up your soul.”

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No matter how much one enjoys Skarsgard in True Blood, his role in Straw Dogs is one that will elicit intense reactions of dislike from audiences, especially from the actor’s female fan base. It is a role that will push Skarsgard to the limit, though I have no doubt that his magnetic screen presence will make his portrayal of the Charlie Venner character unforgettable, no matter how detestable that character is.

Straw Dogs opens today.

FYI ~ the definition of straw dog is something that is made only to be destroyed.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) – This look is sooo not sexy.

With all this talk of Colin Farrell, True Blood and Eric, it’s easy to forget that there are some not so sexy vampires out there. Honestly, vampires didn’t start out as the glimmering, sparkly swoon worthy creatures we know, love and fantasize about today. It wasn’t until Gary Oldman got all spiffed up for us in Bram Stoker’s Dracula in 1992 that vampires started to get hot. And then of course Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt as vampires from Anne Rice’s smash hit Interview with the Vampire in 1994 made sure we would never think of vampires with harsh widow’s peaks and black capes as the norm again. Nope, suddenly vampires were hot.

Yet vampires weren’t always so sexy and attractive. In fact, in the beginning, despite all the Freudian references, there was nothing sexy about them at all. Even today not all vampires in movies are sexy. It just goes to show you that we still like our vampires mean, ugly and scary. These are the kind of monsters that nightmares are made of, and there is absolutely nothing sexy about them. Here’s a look at 5 of the un-sexiest vampires in film.

5. Nosferatu

Despite being the godfather of vampires on film, there is nothing dreamy about Nosferatu at all. It’s quite the opposite. If the way he does that Nosferatu skulk casting shadows on the walls isn’t enough to creep you out, then his exaggerated ears, long talons and decidedly rat like face and front teeth certainly will. Doesn’t he look a teensy bit like an undead Peter Pettigrew from Harry Potter?

4. Bram Stoker’s Count Dracula

Good old Vlad the Impaler had some serious glamour. He was pretty suave with the ladies too. Yet underneath his glamourous sex appeal was a beastly and ghastly creature. He could be pretty on the outside when he wanted to be, but just below the surface of his appeal lurked the many faces of death. His numerous incarnations of the dreaded blood drinker that stalked the night definitely do not rank very high on the sexy meter.

3. Marlow from 30 Days of Night

There is absolutely no relation to sexy here. This vampire inspires nothing but absolute mind numbing terror. He doesn’t even register on the sex-o-meter. He is the type of monster that evokes nightmares instead of fantasies. Absolutely ruthless, this vampire makes no bones about how he looks at humans. We are nothing but dinner, inferior, inconsequential annoyances. With a visage, demeanor and attitude like that, there is absolutely nothing attractive about this blood drinker.

2. Vampires from Daybreakers

Russell Edgington would have been proud to call these vampires cohorts in the belief that humans are food. The vampires of Daybreakers will give you a heart attack instead of a fluttering heartbeat. Humans are an endangered species in this flick and the vampires are more interested in foraging for food than finding romance. The starving vampires morph into Subsiders, rapacious and hostile creatures resembling giant bat-like monstrosities whose natures remind me of zombies. In fact, you could say it is the decided lack of sexy that has led to the danger in the vampiric food supply. No willing necks to bite! ;D Now here’s a culture that could definitely use way more than a drop of True Blood in more ways than one. There is definitely no sexy here so we might as well take our sexy scale elsewhere, since these vampires are definitely not sexy, especially when they are starving.

1. Vampires from Priest

Rabid, alienesque demons, these unsightly Korean comic book based vampires are all business. You are more likely to shut your eyes and say your prayers than dream about them buying your house in a lustful and obsessive attempt to own you. Annihilation, extermination and domination is printed in bold letters on their calling cards and an encounter with one of these bad boys is likely to only end up one of two ways, dead or as a familiar subservient to them. Unless Paul Bettany happens to be in the vicinity. These vampires are definitely not the kind to write home about and there is no sexy scale in sight when it comes to these UV sensitive demons.

Are there any other vampires that inspire shivers of horror instead of squeals of delight that aren’t on this list? Who did I miss? Who do you think should be on this list?

Kate Beckinsale is once again reprising her role as Selene the Death Dealer in Underworld: Awakening, the fourth film in the Underworld franchise. Screen Gems has released this first trailer of the upcoming film which is coming to theaters on January 20th, 2012 in both 2D and 3D. And who doesn’t want to see more of Beckinsale in her tight black vinyl suit and in 3D no less? Rumors are swirling that Scott Speedman will also be joining the cast but who knows if that will happen.

Director: Måns Mårlind, Björn Stein
Written by: Len Wiseman, John Hlavin, Allison Burnett, J. Michael Straczynski
Cast: Kate Beckinsale, Stephen Rea, Michael Ealy, Theo James, India Eisley, Charles Dance

Synopsis: Selene escapes imprisonment and finds herself in a world where humans have discovered the existence of both Vampire and Lycan clans, and are conducting an all-out war to eradicate both immortal species.

So what do you think of this trailer? Does it look like more of the same? Or will this movie be as good as the others?

Underworld Trivia

The model for the Selene character was the psychic vampire of the Hellfire Club in the X-Men comics, the Black Queen Selene.

Kate Beckinsale first met future husband Len Wiseman on the set of Underworld.

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