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Choice TV Show: Fantasy/Sci-Fi: The Vampire Diaries
Choice TV Actor: Fantasy/Sci-Fi: Ian Somerhalder, Paul Wesley
Choice TV Actress: Fantasy/Sci-Fi: Nina Dobrev
Choice TV Villain: Joseph Morgan
Choice TV: Female Scene Stealer: Kat Graham
Choice TV: Male Scene Stealer: Michael Trevino
Choice Male Hottie: Ian Somerhalder
Choice Female Hottie: Nina Dobrev

The Ian Somerhalder Foundation is in full swing, reaching 195 countries in just six months. The Louisiana-born actor who currently plays Damon Salvatore on the CW television series The Vampire Diaries and was Boone Carlyle on the ABC drama Lost, has been known to step up to help environmental and animal welfare causes, such as the oil clean up in the Gulf of Mexico and hosting a fundraiser for the St. Tammany Humane Society in his hometown of Covington, but his ultimate goal was to have his own Foundation.

In December, 2010, after setting up his team of specialists and advisors, The Ian Somerhalder Foundation was launched and this month it held its first board meeting in Toronto, where executive director Kim Klingler lives. “This Foundation would not exist without her,” he says.

Somerhalder was also in town to present the UR Fave Artist award (to Justin Bieber) at the MuchMusic Video Awards where he spoke to Samaritanmag about the Ian Somerhalder Foundation, or IS Foundation for short.

“We came here to do that and do a branding workshop for the Foundation with this genius branding strategist [American Kevin George], one of the best in the world, to really figure out how to reach everyone and really include everyone,” Somerhalder says. “It’s been the most incredible two days of going through that process and we’ve come up with a lot of pretty incredible programs.”

In the “About” section of the Ian Somerhalder Foundation web site, it explains that the team of people behind the non-profit view the planet as an “interdependent organism” (trees, rivers, animals, humans) and wants all the charities and organizations working together to affect change: “Nature does not behave independently,” it states.

“It works in unison with all its elements. Working independently to transform our planet is like trying to [play] a violin without strings. Communities of businesses, organizations, people and projects must begin to connect resources and skills to passions and projects. The IS Foundation will behave in full collaborative spirit by joining with other non-profit, for-profit and governing bodies globally.”

For example, Somerhalder tells Samaritanmag, the Foundation’s mandate covers several different spectrums. “It’s planet and creatures. So you have Habitat, and under Habitat you have conservation, biodiversity, water, land, air. It seems like broad strokes, but it’s all very compartmentalized. This isn’t just a tiny organization. This is now in like 195 countries. It’s everywhere,” he says proudly.

“There is also a huge animal component,” he adds. “We are funding and finishing all the research for species-specific oral sterilization drugs, which will basically end stray animal populations globally in the next 10 years. Awesome stuff.”

On the Foundation’s site are more details. Under three “Upcoming Area of Focus” are Habitat (extinction, deforestation & reforestation; conservation; and biodiversity); Energy (fuel transportation impact reduction; green technology; local Biofuels; green disaster relief; greening the entertainment industry; and empower public participation in legislation); and Animals (habitat & extinction; cruelty; empowerment of No Kill shelters; sterilization; and assistive & therapy animals).

There are also separate youth and kids sections focusing on inspiring young activists, as well as a “Get Involved” section. There, the Foundation asks young people to submit their age, interests/passions, and skills, and, if they wish, to become an IS Foundation Youth Catalyst, or to share a project or idea.

“This about being very proactive and engaging,” Somerhalder tells Samaritanmag. “This is about engaging youth to create generational shift, generational change. You understand bureaucracy as well as I do, and we’re not going to change the politicians; we’re not going to change bureaucracy right now, for this generation, but we can change it for the next one.

“And so when I explain to a 12 or a 15-year-old about energy policy or about the fact that a tree left planted in the ground, not cut down, is worth more to them in the ground than it is as a leg on one of their stools, that’s when you start seeing that process happening in [these kids’] brains, realizing that protecting their environment is much more valuable to them in the future than watching it waste away. It’s such an incredible process.”

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Between jetting off to awards shows, filming “The Perks of Being A Wallflower” and gearing up for season three of “The Vampire Diaries” in September, there’s no question that Nina Dobrev has a lot on her plate. But is it too much?

We caught up with Nina at the 2011 MTV Movie Awards post party earlier this month—where we found her unwinding with “TVD” executive producer Julie Plec and co-stars Steven R. McQueen and Kayla Ewell—to get the scoop on how she manages her workload and whether, after two seasons, it’s still exciting to slip into the roles of Elena and Katherine.

“It’s definitely fun still,” Nina said (feel free to let out that sigh of relief!). The 22-year-old, however, shared that since the show is so fast paced, she sometimes fears they might run out of twists and turns for the viewers. (Confession: We’ve totally been afraid of that too!) “I wonder when we’re going to burn out and when there won’t be anymore story to tell,” she said.

Luckily, that’s where scribe Julie comes in.

“She is brilliant, and she keeps delivering. The storylines keep getting more intense and bigger, and the cliffhangers are crazier and steeper,” said Nina. Yet, as the arcs get meatier and Nina’s schedule gets more and more packed, the challenge of managing her workload is that much greater.

“For me personally, it’s finding that balance between life and work and having a life within my work because I have to live to have something to pull from, and I’m trying,” she said.
Considering she’s already a pro at juggling two characters and multiple on-screen love interests, we’ve got no doubt she’ll manage to find some harmony in her off-screen life as well.

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On Thursday, September 15, The CW’s #1 show, THE VAMPIRE DIARIES (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET) returns.

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But The Vampire Diaries’ Damon Salvatore won’t be arriving alone. We’ll all be watching for clues whether that innocent kiss in the season finale was just a little bit guilty as Elena Gilbert/Katherine Pierce AKA NINA DOBREV (and fellow Canuck!) will be presenting at the MMVAs too!

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Season three opens the door to learn more about Klaus and The Original Family as his motives for wanting Stefan on his side are finally revealed. As Stefan sinks deeper into the dark side, Damon and Elena struggle with the guilt of their growing bond even as they work together to bring Stefan back from the edge. The ghosts from Jeremy’s past have a powerful message they’re trying to deliver to him, not to mention the impact they’re having on his relationship with Bonnie. And as Caroline and Tyler grow closer, a war erupts between their families. The series stars Nina Dobrev as Elena Gilbert, Paul Wesley as Stefan Salvatore, Ian Somerhalder as Damon Salvatore, Steven R. McQueen as Jeremy Gilbert, Kat Graham as Bonnie Bennett, Candice Accola as Caroline Forbes, Zach Roerig as Matt Donovan, Michael Trevino as Tyler Lockwood, Matt Davis as Alaric Saltzman and Joseph Morgan as Klaus. Based on the series of books by L. J. Smith, THE VAMPIRE DIARIES is from Bonanza Productions Inc., Outerbanks Entertainment and Alloy Entertainment in association with Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios with executive producers Kevin Williamson (“Scream,” “Dawson’s Creek”), Julie Plec (“Kyle XY,” “Wasteland”), Leslie Morgenstein (“Gossip Girl,” “Private”) and Bob Levy (“Gossip Girl,” “Privileged”).

Vampire Diaries star Paul Wesley has joined Billy Bob Thornton and Eva Longoria in The Baytown Disco, from a script that appeared on the 2009 Black List of hot unproduced screenplays in Hollywood. Wesley, who plays Stefan Salvatore on Diaries, will play a Louisiana federal agent in the film.
Wesley will play “Anthony Reese, a federal agent who comes into a small Southern town to investigate the Oodies — three redneck brothers who get more than they bargained for after agreeing to help a woman get her son back from his seemingly abusive father.” [The Wrap]

Thornton was nominated for the Best Actor Academy Award in 1997 for Sling Blade and Longoria’s best known for her stint on Desperate Housewives. Serinda Swan, Clayne Crawford, Thomas Sangster and Meagan Good will also appear in the film.

The Baytown Disco has been a favorite in-development project in the blogosphere, but it sounds a little Joe Dirt-ish to us… and can a pretty boy from the kitchy teen drama The Vampire Diaries handle going up against a heavy-hitter like Billy Bob Thornton?

Zap2it: Last week’s episode was so sad! I cried at home. Was it rough to say goodbye to Sara after you guys wrapped?
Graham: I was a mess. I cried! I just didn’t get it. I don’t like those kinds of changes. In this life you already have so many changes, but I don’t want to change my friends. I don’t want to not see them. I already barely see my friends as it is because I work so much, so losing Sara was difficult. I know there are going to be great things for her next, and she’s going to do amazing things as she spread her wings. It was very difficult.

In the midst of all the sadness, Bonnie had a really kick-ass moment when she came out of the darkness and spelled Klaus.
We were really excited when we shot it! We did it literally in two takes, and everything was like ‘Whoa! That’s awesome!’ and I was like ‘Really? It was okay?’ Everyone was really happy with it. I think that’s how the audience was feeling, like, ‘I just want to go in there, and take him down!’ and the fact that Bonnie did that gave them the chance to feel like they were taking charge that way, too.

How do you manage to memorize all the spells?
Those things are so hard to memorize! You have no idea. I had to learn these three different Latin chants in a day. I thought I was going to explode. Actually, people are calling it Latin, but it’s not Latin. I call it Plecan. It’s a Julie Plec made-up language. So, it’s technically called Plecan. She’ll take Latin words and things that kind of are like the real words, and she’ll like… remix it. I have to memorize a lot of Plecan.

We saw in the episode preview (above) that Emily Bennett is going to return in this episode. How are she and Bonnie going to factor into the finale?
Emily comes when she needs to come. That’s all I can say. With Bonnie, I can definitely say that because it’s the last episode and Damon’s been bitten by the werewolf, what everyone is trying to do is figure out if there is a cure and how to get it, and how to move forward to save him — if that’s even possible.

Where do Bonnie and Damon stand right now? He was more than willing to sacrifice her life in the last episode.
I don’t think Bonnie would necessarily throw her arms around him and protect him over someone else, either, you know what I mean? They’re cool. They’re not best buddies, and they don’t have a romantic interest. I think they’re just trying to do what they’ve got to do, and if they have to work together, they deal with it. They’re not on horrible terms, but Bonnie isn’t really a forgetful person, from what I know.

Are we going to see any development in Jeremy and Bonnie’s relationship?
You will definitely continue to see the relationship evolve, I can say that much.

You guys are a go for Season 3,and I know that a lot of your fans on Twitter are hoping to see more of Bonnie’s life this season – her family, and her house.
I’m with them on that! I listen to them, and I’m like, ‘Wow, they really want to see it!’ but I can’t even tell them anything because I don’t know what’s coming. I would like to see that, a mother or a father at least. It’s time, but there’s been so much going on and so many other characters to develop. It’s very much an ensemble cast, and there’s a lot going on and everyone has their own storylines. It’s totally understandable that all the characters haven’t had a full development. It takes a lot of time.

I just saw your music video for “I Want It All.” We spoke before about your time working with the tiger, but now that I’ve seen it all come together, it’s a really incredible clip.
Thank you! We shot it on a reserve in San Bernardino. It was such an amazing experience, but it was definitely the most dangerous thing I’ve ever done. I have a joke with my stylist Brett that we’ve never had a big shoot together – he’s like “We’ve only had two!” and I said, “Yeah, but every time we work together it’s been life-threatening!” The tiger was very sweet, but dealing with the fire – that was a big fire on my head! The hat literally shoots fire. I’m always playing with fire. If you ever see me in a circle of fire or with fire on my hands, that’s not special effects, you know! That’s literally my hands on fire. I’m getting used to it. I’m not as scared as I used to be. Everyone’s at the point where they’re like “Oh, fire? Kat will be fine!”

What kind of fan response have you seen?
Everyone really loves it and MTV has been really supportive. The music has been a slow boil. We started with the Will.I.Am stuff, and then I pushed “Sassy” as kind of a buzz single, and now we’ve got this setup single. Everything has been really taking its time, and I don’t mind that, but “I Want It All” is my first actual budget video. Everything else has just been me and my friends kind of winging it, so I’m really happy with the way it turned out. I wanted people to see it. It’s strong! It’s a J.R. Rodham produced single, and I’m just so proud of it. It’s been a long time coming.

I know you’re working on finishing the album this summer. What can we expect from the final product?
I am. I recorded three songs this past weekend. We’re kind of wrapping up the album and really finding the sound. A lot of it was very similar to the progression of Bonnie. It’s about finding your strength and becoming independent and self-sacrifice and being who you want to be without apologies. It’s been really interesting how the parallels between Bonnie and I surfaced.

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ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: I wasn’t surprised — or all that angry even — that Elijah made the decision to save Klaus to get to his family.
DANIEL GILLIES: Neither was I. It’s funny, we’ve been talking about him being so noble all the time. When people said he’s a man of his word, he’s honorable, I was sort of conflicted. There was a few things that he’s done that I don’t think were very honorable, actually, that fans overlook. Like, when he was almost ruthlessly pursuing Damon and Rose in the beginning, and I picked up those coins out of the busker’s guitar case and threw them at the window — I thought that was the opposite of nobility to include all those innocent people in his mayhem. A lot of the fans, that’s their favorite shot of me, and that’s actually the least noble thing that’s done on the show. His agenda is thousands of years old, so the fact that he turned and destroyed the plans of Stefan and Bonnie doesn’t surprise me at all. Other cast members came up to me and said, “Oh, how do you feel about that? Oh, man, it’s terrible, right?” Like it’s a bad thing. I personally love characters when they f— up. It’s exciting to me. When someone like Elijah — who almost seems robotic at times in his execution, the economy of his motion — does something like that, you actually see his humanity. I love the mistakes that people make. In a sense, for me at least, it brings me closer to them.

My question is this: If Klaus hunted down the rest of Elijah’s family, was he searching for Elijah all these years? What’s your take on that?
I think Elijah was difficult. I think that Elijah was elusive, extremely intelligent. [Laughs] Much more intelligent than I. I think also there was probably a part of Klaus that couldn’t quite bring himself to pursue Elijah with real vengeance. I think that there was a part of them that was extremely close for centuries, and I think that on whatever level, he probably resisted hunting Elijah as he did the rest of the family. But I also think that Elijah is probably extraordinarily good at eluding him.

Fans have been talking about the chemistry between Elijah and Elena. Do you think that’s just because he sees in her what he saw in Katherine or the person Katherine reminded him of? Or is it something more than that?
I think that he sees Katherine, but I think that it’s even deeper. I think Elena is so much more heroic than Katherine because she’s got so much more to lose. That’s not to say that Katerina didn’t have a lot to lose back in the day, but I think that Elena represents even more heroism. I think Elena reminds Elijah of everything he liked about being human and continues to like about being human.

Do you think we’ve seen him soften through his run?
We have to an extent. It’s an interesting issue. A good and a bad thing as an actor is sometimes you become good as exposition, and I think that I was relatively good and am relatively good at exposition. So therefore, necessarily, I became a sort of device for opening up the past. Which meant that I kinda couldn’t be this cold guy on the outskirts saying four words an episode and murdering five people. I couldn’t be this cowboy for as long as I wanted. It wouldn’t have worked. I basically had to open the door into the past, and so they had to create in me a degree of diplomacy/approachability.

When we chatted in January, we had a great conversation about who you’d love to see play Klaus. Any suggestions you’d like to share for members of Elijah’s family?
Oh, man. We can dig up some of those old names. I loved that you printed that…. I must say that Joseph Morgan [who was ultimately cast as Klaus] wasn’t impressed when he came to set. He gave me a punch on the arm and was like, “Jonathan Rhys Meyers?! Ian McShane?!”

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