'True Blood' Nabs 'Dexter' Showtime Alum

EXCLUSIVE: HBO’s smash has made its second major Season 4 hire: Dexter actress Courtney Ford is joining True Blood as a recurring. The actress — who ironically just completed a stint on  another vampire drama, The CW’s The Vampire Diaries — will play Portia Bellefleur, a classic Southern beauty who runs her own law practice. The character is the sister of Bon Temps’ bumbling detective Andy (Chris Bauer). The news comes just days after Irish actress Fiona Shaw was cast in the series regular role of Marnie, a self-loathing medium who becomes possessed by a witch. Michael Ausiello will be contributing to Deadline.com and Movieline.com as he  preps for the early 2011 launch of a new TV-centric website.