Question: What’s in store for the fans this coming season?

Kevin: Well, Katherine being back in Mystic Falls is a bit of a game changer for the show. It’s about, “How is that going to affect Damon and Stefan, in terms of Katherine now being back in town?” It’s so hard to talk about it without giving anything away because it seems like everything is a surprise and everything is a twist. But, Katherine comes back and pretty much states why she’s back. It will be fun to watch that play out. If you’ve watched our show in the past, you know that there’s always more than one reason why someone is there. It’s a huge journey.

What is Katherine’s reason for being back?

Kevin: She says that she wants Stefan and that she came back for him.

Could she just be saying that?

Kevin: Maybe. Could be.

How is Katherine now different from Katherine in 1864?

Kevin: She’s meaner. Actually, it’s going to be interesting to watch. She’s different, in the sense that she doesn’t have to wear corsets anymore. I’m scared to say because it will tease where she’s been. What she’s been up to is a bit of a secret. This is one of those shows you just can’t talk about. It sucks.

Check out the entire interview at Collider.com.

“Right now, it is your all-consuming duty to get out the vote in the final round of EW.com’s Sexy Beast single-elimination bracket tournament! Yes, folks, a battle of the beautiful that began almost a month ago with 64 entrants — vampires and werewolves, mutants and machines, aliens and other creatures (even Ms. Pac-Man!) — has been whittled down to just two combatants: The Vampire Diaries‘ Damon Salvatore and Twilight‘s Edward Cullen. So stop what you’re doing, think deeply about the most important question you’ll ask yourself all day (“Who’s hotter?) and then click through past the jump to vote for your favorite. Plus, you can click here to see the entire 64-player bracket and how it played out (then click again on the image for a zoomed-in view). Polls are open for 72 hours only, so support your candidate in battle; only one can be named the ultimate Sexy Beast!” Vote here.

According to EW, Dexter’s Courtney Ford “has signed on as Vanessa, a graduate student from Duke University, who will help Alaric, Elena and Damon dig through Isobel’s old research.” MTV points out that “the biggest of course, is whether or not there’s some love interest potential with Vanessa. After all, Mystic Fall has quite a few eligible bachelors and not enough single ladies.” Also, Executive Producer Kevin Williamson dropped some hints at Comic-Con: ”We do know in the third episode Alaric (Matt Davis) and Damon (Ian Somerhalder) travel to Duke University to look at paranormal research and there is a grad student there who helps them dig into it and you know…she’s not without her own intrigue.”

Themed Cruises, Inc., presents the very first Vampire Diaries Fan Cruise! The Allure of the Seas cruise ship will depart from Ft. Lauderdale, FL on August 14th, 2011. The Royal Caribbean ship will visit Haiti, Jamaica, and Mexico during it’s week-long voyage. More info coming soon!

Check out Justin Bieber’s new “Somebody to Love” music video, which happens to star The Vampire Diaries’ Katerina Graham (as confirmed by Zap2it).

E! Online reports:

Ian Somerhalder went to his hometown a few weeks ago to tape a PSA that would draw attention to the oil spill and how it is affecting local wildlife. And after finishing a press tour in Monte Carlo, he returned this week to see what he can do to help.

“You know, it’s crazy,” Ian says, “which really breaks my heart…If you look at all these beaches right here. It’s a June afternoon–this beach would be littered with families, kids playing, dads on the pier with their buddies fishing. None of that’s here…The things you remember, the times you spent with your parents or your grandparents, brothers, sisters, fishing and learning about the ecology here is…it’s your base, it’s your root and you’ll do anything, you will fight tooth and nail to protect it.”

High-Def Digest reports:

Warner Brothers has just announced ‘The Vampire Diaries: The Complete First Season’ for Blu-ray on August 31.

Specs have yet to be detailed, but the four-disc set will include: Pilot commentary; Into Mystic Falls: bringing vampire lore and the high school experience from page to screen; When Vampires Don’t Suck!: the popularity of vampires and the fans who love them; The Vampire Diaries: A New Breed of Vampires — Casting the Series; The Vampire Diaries: Vampires 101 – The Rules of the Vampire; Unaired scenes; The Vampire Diaries: A Darker Truth webisodes; Second Bite: gag reel; and a downloadable audiobook of the bestselling novel The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening by L.J. Smith.

Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $69.97.

Check out this new Vampire Diaries beach towel featuring the Salvatore brothers– available now at the WB shop for $24.95. Order now and get a free “1 ounce bottle of VPF 1000 sunscream.”