TV is often considered a medium that's especially friendly to women, both in the audience and in front of the camera. (Certainly more so than the movies, which have been all but abandoned to teenage boys.)

This year, however, there didn't seem to be as many strong roles for women on TV's comedy and drama series. The Golden Globe TV races in the Best Actress categories are especially tight this year, and few newcomers will be jockeying with veterans for the five nominations in each category that will be announced on Dec. 15.

Now here's some news I can sink my teeth into. Aside from my Buffy fixation, I spend my days and nights awaiting the return of Alan Ball's True Blood on June 16. I'm on a vampire roll.

The HBO show has just picked up Evan Rachel Wood, who will play a vampire queen in the second season. You know, she sort of has that vampire look to her. Or rather, the goth look I imagine a female vamp might have. I think she'll be great in the role.

Wood's character is the Queen of Louisiana, a 400-year-old vampire who rules over the undead residents of the Bayou State. She's a pivotal character in Books 2 and 3 of the Sookie Stackhouse novels on which the series is based (loosely, some would say).