from the hollywood re****ter
Fans shed blood for 'Moonlight'
By James Hibberd
Fans of CBS' "Moonlight" are so passionate about the vampire drama
that they're willing to sacrifice their own blood to keep the series
on the air.
Teaming with the Red Cross and online protest rally point
YouChoose.net, "Moonlight" viewers are organizing a nationwide blood
drive to garner network sup****t for a second season. They claim that
more than 3,000 fans have pledged to donate a pint.
"Moonlight" star Alex O'Loughlin has been so moved by fans' efforts
that sources close to the series said he is becoming a spokesman for
the Red Cross. The spokesman****p position will be announced this week.
For all the dramatic effort fans are expending to rescue the show,
here's the kicker: "Moonlight" isn't in any imminent danger of
cancellation. Although modestly rated, the show is considered very
likely to receive a pickup for the fall. Plus, "Moonlight" still has
four original episodes set to air when it returns April 25, so there's
plenty of time for CBS to mull its fate.
Still, "Moonlight" fans aren't taking any chances.
"We wanted to celebrate the return of episodes and really focus
attention on the show," said Barbara Arnold, who helped promote the
blood drive. "They say one pint of blood saves three lives. So if we
can collect 3,000, wouldn't that be nice?"
The fan intensity could be wearying for CBS.
The network just finished extingui****ng a yearlong fan uprising about
its other ratings-challenged cult drama, "Jericho" (which the network
canceled last month). At least executives can take heart that, unlike
in the infamous "Jericho" peanut-mailing campaign, "Moonlight" fans
are using their blood to help a good cause rather than sending it to
the network.
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