'Blood' blog's not 'True'

NEW YORK - Is it an ad or a blog?

An attempt by HBO to promote its vampire series "True Blood" has some blood boiling at the popular Gawker Web site.

HBO produced a fake blog supposedly written by a vampire. It's embedded within the popular Gawker Web site and made to look just like it - with no indication that it's paid advertising copy.

Gawker's managing editor objects. Gabriel Snyder says it blurs the line between editorial and advertising. Although Gawker later added a small disclaimer at the bottom of the fake "Bloodcopy" blog, the company's advertising chief suggests critics like Snyder should remember what pays the bills.

An HBO executive says it shouldn't be a hard joke to get, since it's a blog purported to be written by a vampire. *