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Welcome to Kicking the Seat!

Ian Simmons launched Kicking the Seat in 2009, one week after seeing Nora Ephron’s Julie & Julia. His wife proposed blogging as a healthier outlet for his anger than red-faced, twenty-minute tirades (Ian is no longer allowed to drive home from the movies).

The Kicking the Seat Podcast followed three years later and, despite its “undiscovered gem” status, Ian thoroughly enjoys hosting film critic discussions, creating themed shows, and interviewing such luminaries as Gaspar NoéRachel BrosnahanAmy Seimetz, and Richard Dreyfuss.

Ian is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association. He also has a family, a day job, and conflicted feelings about referring to himself in the third person.

The KtS Contest: Immortality Doesn't Suck!

UPDATE: This contest has ended. Congratulations, Bill Norris!

Two of The CW's biggest shows hit home video September 1st! To celebrate, Kicking the Seat has teamed with TetherGroup and Warner Bros. to give one lucky reader a chance to win either The Vampire Diaries: The Complete Sixth Season or The Originals: The Complete Second Season on Blu-ray and Digital HD!

The Vampire Diaries continues its sixth season with more delicious drama to sink your teeth into, as the departure of a major character turns lives upside down and leaves us asking what happened to Mystic Falls! In season two of The Originals, warring factions of vampires, werewolves, and witches struggle to gain control of New Orleans!

To Enter: In the Comments section below, answer the question, "Would you rather be a vampire or a werewolf, and why?"

As always, we're looking for funny, cool, weird, and/or unique answers. The author of the best entry will win either The Vampire Diaries: The Complete Sixth Season or The Originals: The Complete Second Season on Blu-ray and Digital HD! Please note that the prize will be randomly selected, so the winner may receive either set.

Entries must be received by 11:59pm Tuesday, September 15, 2015.

In the meantime, enjoy an eternity's worth of cool apps and extras, courtesy of Warner Bros.!

Take the "Are You Fit for Vampire Life?" quiz (and check back September 1st, to take the "Could You Be a Supernatural Being?" quiz)!

Check out these exclusive interviews with series creator Julie Plec!

Julie Plec answers your questions about The Vampire Diaries: The Complete Sixth Season!

Julie Plec shares her Top 5 episodes from The Vampire Diaries: The Complete Sixth Season!

Julie Plec answers your questions about The Originals: The Complete Second Season!

Julie Plec shares her Top 5 episodes from The Originals: The Complete Second Season!

And get ready for the ultimate Vampire Diaries/Originals get-together with this “Viewing Party Eats: Recipes to Satisfy Friends & Enemies” downloadable PDF!

Eligibility: This post is sponsored by and in promotion of Warner Bros. All prizes for the "Immortality Doesn't Suck!" Contest, and the The Vampire Diaries/The Originals Blog App, are provided courtesy of Warner Bros. Prize will be sent via FedEx or USPS. No P.O. boxes, please. Each household is only eligible to win one (1) Blu-ray/Digital HD copy of The Vampire Diaries: The Complete Sixth Season or The Originals: The Complete Second Season. Prize will be selected at random, though the winner will be determined per the criteria listed in the "To Enter" section above. Only one (1) entrant per mailing address per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you will not be eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification. Notification: Kicking the Seat will contact the contest winner within twelve (12) hours of contest close. If no response is received within twenty-four (24) hours, an alternate winner will be chosen. Contest is open to residents of the USA and Canada.

The KtS Contest: Catch a COMET!

The KtS Contest: Rock, Roll, and Win!