Sunday, April 30, 2017

WiC Weekly: April 23-29

Welcome to WiC weekly, where we give you the CliffsNotes version of the biggest stories from Game of Thrones, during the past week. Let’s get started, shall we?

The Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers are currently in negotiations, and if the two parties can’t come together on some major points, then the WGA will strike on May 1. We look into the situation and see if a possible WGA strike will affect Game of Thrones season 8.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister), talked about that one theory. You know the one…the one where Jaime will kill Cersei.

Speaking of Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister), the actor said there are accurate Game of Thrones spoilers “out there.”

Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen) says even the actors are being kept in the dark, by the show’s producers, about season 8. “No one knows anything.”

Kristian Nairn (Hodor) and Eugene Simon (Lancel) remember their final scenes on Game of Thrones.

Five Game of Thrones cast members were being reported by some outlets to be getting a massive raise for seasons 7 and 8. We looked into it and even asked Entertainment Weekly’s Game of Thrones correspondent James Hibberd.

We ranked the 15 best fighters from Game of Thrones.

Watch this very interesting video series on the History of Dargon Warfare.

We had some fun recasting a few cast members from Game of Thrones. It got weird…like, Steve Buscemi weird.

Finally, chart-topping singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran described his Game of Thrones season 7 cameo. Looks like Maisie Williams (Arya Stark) will get to be a fan, for once in her life.

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15 year old George R.R. Martin’s first published work was a Marvel fanboy letter

As it turns out, A Song of Ice and Fire creator George R.R. Martin has always had quite the knack for writing. Case in point, at the tender age of fifteen, Martin wrote legendary comic creators Stan Lee and Jack Kirby a gushing fan letter after a particular arc of Marvel’s The Fantastic Four. When the letter was published in a subsequent issue of Fantastic Four, it marked Martin’s first published work.

For those unaware, Kirby and Lee are responsible for creating everyone from Captain America to the X-Men, and when you throw in a teenage Martin, that’s quite the literary gathering. Martin revealed the contents of the letter for a new History Channel special titled Superheroes Decoded, which airs Sunday, April 30 as well as Monday, May 1. Watch Martin describe the letter in the clip below.

It seems Martin did not earn the second “R” until he was older. Either way, its pretty amazing to see Martin’s obvious enthusiasm for the comics. Martin’s use of the words “ergo” and “gumbo” are also fairly noteworthy for a fifteen year old aspiring writer. Martin comments that Stan Lee’s response “changed my life,” and we can hardly blame him. Having a legendary author such as Lee respond to your letter would make quite the impression on any fifteen year old.

It makes one wonder if Lee and Martin have ever met, and if Martin still maintained the same level of unabashed excitement after enjoying the success that he has. Regardless, Martin’s first published work certainly was memorable. By gumbo.

h/t Entertainment Weekly

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Saturday, April 29, 2017

Ed Sheeran describes his Game of Thrones season 7 cameo

(Photo by Stefania D’Alessandro/Getty Images)

We’ve known for some time now that singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran would be appearing at some point in Game of Thrones season 7. In fact, he has even let slip some details about the part, saying that while he wasn’t going to die in his performance, he didn’t know which role he was going to play. Sheeran and Thrones star Maisie Williams (Arya Stark) are friends, and apparently, the show’s producers have been trying to get the chart-topper on the show, for a while now.

It’s not just Williams who is a fan of the singer, as her co-stars Sophie Turner, Kit Harington, and Alfie Allen, all joined her one night as she stopped by his house, where he played songs for them from his album. So, as you can see, it really is a mutually happy union of the two parties. Recently, Sheeran spoke to The Hits Radio’s Tom Green, and revealed more about his cameo in season 7.

I just do a scene with Maisie. I sing a song and then she goes, oh, that’s a nice song.

Sounds like Sheeran will be playing a bard type of character, in Game of Thrones season 7. Recently, HBO released the first official season 7 photos. In that batch was one of Arya in what appeared to be a tavern, and we’ve even speculated that Arya might be at the Inn at the Crossroads in that particular photo. Could this be where Arya and Sheeran’s character share their scene?

Regardless, we’re happy Ed Sheeran finally got on Game of Thrones, where he joins other musicians like Wilko Johnson (Ser Ilyn Payne), Snow Patrol lead singer Gary Lightbody (Season 3, episode 3, “Walk of Punishment”), Coldplay’s Will Champion (Season 3, episode 9, “The Rains of Castamere”), Sigur Rós (Season 4, episode 2, “The Lion and the Rose”) the members of Mastodon (Season 5, episode 8, “Hardhome”), and the members of Of Monsters and Men (Season 6, episodes 5-6, “The Door” and “Blood of My Blood”).

H/T – Heat World

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We look at the script for “The Children”—What changed from page to screen?

Did you know that you can read the scripts for select episodes of Game of Thrones on the Emmys website? You can. We’ve previously examined the scripts for season 6’s “Battle of the Bastards” and season 5’s “Mother’s Mercy” to see how they changed in the transition from page to screen. This week, we take a look at the script for the season 4 finale, “The Children,” written by showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss.

We start with Jon Snow’s lonely walk across the battleground north of the Wall to meet Mance Rayder. In the script, Jon views more bodies than on screen. Also, the giant that was impaled by the Night’s Watch ballista is appropriately named Dongo the Doomed. Interestingly enough, the forest fire started by Mance Rayder in the previous episode is still burning in the script.

After being escorted through the wildling camp, Jon enters Mance’s tent, which in the script is guarded by a ring of wildling chieftains. The script describes them as each being more distinct than the last, calling their uniqueness “stunning.” On screen, the chieftains are more uniform.

Once in the tent, Jon and Mance toast Ygritte, and we get some of Benioff and Weiss’ NSFW humor.

They drink. Jon cannot hide the fact that fermented milk tastes like day-old cock cheese. Mance laughs at his wincing and coughing.

Kit Harington certainly acted the scene accordingly, although I wish I’d never read it. Jon and Mance’s conversation is largely the same, although Mance does add that he’ll stop the “raids” and “killing” if Jon lets the wildlings through the Wall.

Then comes Stannis. The script notes that Stannis’ forces are initially concealed by fog, that we hear them rather than see them, but on screen we see them as clear as day.

The battle is also a little different — in the script, Stannis leads a charge against Mance on screen, and many of the chieftains defending Mance are killed by Stannis’ honor guard before Mance signals for surrender. On the page, Jon is held at knife point by a chieftain, before being released as Stannis approaches. The lone wildling who charges Stannis only to be knocked on his ass by a calvary man is not in the script.

The rest of the scene remains the same, and we’re off to King’s Landing. Qyburn’s work on a dying Ser Gregor Clegane is identical to how it is on the page. Then there’s a confrontation between Cersei and Tywin, where she tells him about her incestuous relationship with Jaime. The moment Cersei threatens Tywin with revealing the truth is described as ” the most tense moment of her very tense life with her father.”

Next we’re off to Meereen, where Missandei is in Daenerys’ throne room and addressing an old man — the one who wants to be sold back into slavery — in Valyrian. You might think the script just says “Missandei speaks Valyrian,” but you would be wrong, but the actual Valyrian dialogue is on page. The biggest difference in this scene is that Grey Worm and Barristan help the old man up the stairs. The remaining scenes in Meereen — Dany being presented with the bones of a child, discussing what to do about it, and locking up her dragons — are the same.

Back to the Wall we go, for a mass funeral. Baratheon troops are noted to be in Castle Black, but not the courtyard itself. Yet on screen, the troops stand in the courtyard alongside the members of the Night’s Watch. Interestingly enough, Janos Slynt refuses to help bear the torch used to burn the dead Night’s Watchmen in the script — on screen, it’s barely noticeable. The script also notes Queen Selyse’s “grim fascination” with the ritual, and Shireen’s feet dangling over a railing as she watches.

Jon’s conversation with Tormund regarding Ygritte has a few differences. Most notably, there are more men chained in the room with Tormund. No Thenns, though, because as the script notes, “Thenns don’t get captured alive.”

One small difference: in the script, when Tormund asks Jon if he loved Ygritte, he nods. On screen he stays silent. Aw. And when Jon burns Ygritte’s body, the script notes that he stands over the pyre with his eyes closed as opposed to walking away as he does on screen.

Farther north, we join up with Bran Stark and company en route to the cave of the Three-Eyed Raven. On the page, there are two weirwood trees rather than the one we see onscreen, but otherwise this scene is largely the same. The snow is described as being deep enough to give even Summer trouble, but in the episode we see him trotting effortlessly along. Fake snow must be expensive. The script also notes that the wight’s sword is likely thousands of years old, much older than anything we are used to.

In the script, Hodor uses his bare hands to dispatch the wights, but on screen he has a random hammer picked up from who knows where. The wights are more numerous in the script, and 11 more were originally supposed to emerge from the snow after the first wave. When the Child of the Forrest arrives to save Bran and company from the undead, the script describes her as wielding “magical napalm.” With respect, we prefer the term “nature grenade.”

The child remarks that there are “always more” wights, and implores Bran and crew to flee to safety, though the script notes that everyone except Bran is irrelevant. After making it inside the cave, the child uses a nature grenade to light up the interior, and then it’s time to meet the man, or tree, or raven, himself. The script describes weirwood roots growing through the Three-Eyed Raven’s body, but on screen we only see him sitting among them. Oh, well. See ya in season 6, Bran.

To the Vale — It’s time for the showdown between the Hound and Brienne. The script has a couple of interesting additions here: first, it notes that the Hound’s horse, Stranger, is present, alongside Arya’s pony. They’re absent in the episode itself. Stranger is important to book readers, because his presence is one of the clues left by George R.R. Martin that the Hound is still alive in later books.

The script also notes that Arya’s swordplay is less theatrical than we have previously seen, implying she is taking after the Hound. On screen however, Arya appears to have just as many spin moves as always.

Then there’s this fun description after Arya asks the name of Brienne’s sword: “Brienne smiles. She likes this weirdo.” Later, the sentiment is reversed.

The script describes Brienne as “not very good at soothing troubled young girls,” which exacerbates Arya’s hostility. And then it’s off to the races, as the Hound and Brienne square off. Interestingly, it’s Brienne who draws first on screen, but the Hound in the script.

Their throwdown is slightly different from what’s onscreen — the script describes the Hound as almost earning a quick kill several times in the opening moments, and Podrick is described as “fairly sure he’s going to be unemployed soon.” However, even though the script describes the Hound as stronger than Brienne, he tires quickly because of the infected wound he sustained when Rorge bit him. Towards the end, Script Brienne simply kicks the Hound over the cliff, as opposed to the rage-induced rock beating we see on screen, and then pauses to look down upon her defeated opponent.

The Hound’s “demise” remains largely the same, although the script does remind us that the purse Arya grabs off the Hound is the same one he stole from Mortimer the Farmer early in the season. Then she heads off to that horse we don’t see on screen until the final scene.

Back to King’s Landing we go for a little Lannister family drama. After Jaime frees him from prison, Tyrion makes his way in to Tywin’s chambers, “past the Small Council table, where Tywin shamed him many times. Past the desk, where Tywin shamed him many times.”

Tyrion discovers Shae, and their fight ensues. It’s choreographed pretty specifically, and is probably a touch more vicious on paper. “She claws at him with her free hand, ferocious, all the love she once had for him now turned to hatred for the man who betrayed her.”

He strangles her. In the script, he pulls a sheet over her body, “shrouding her,” but that didn’t make it into the episode. Tyrion’s conversation with Tywin remains the same, although there is some neat insight into Tywin’s final thoughts after getting shot while on the toilet. “The pain is shocking, but even more so the realization for Tywin that this is where he will die, sitting on the privy, murdered by his own child.”

Tyrion escapes with Varys — the script lets us know that the box Tyrion hides in is the same one we saw Varys take the captured sorcerer out of in season 3. That’s multi-tasking. Script Tyrion listens to the hammer and nails crack while being secured inside.

In the script, we do not get the ringing of the bells that seems to force Varys aboard the ship. Instead, the script says that Varys “knows it’s time to leave,” even though he’d “grown rather fond of the dirty old town.”

Finally, Arya is back on board that missing pony. Arya secures passage on a ship, and it all ends with this final description:

In a single masterful crane shot that secures the camera operator’s legendary status, we follow Arya as she walks to the bow, gracefully sidestepping the busy sailors.

Oh, and the gilded lady on the ship’s prow is naked in the script. Because it’s Game of Thrones.

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Friday, April 28, 2017

Ranking the 15 greatest swordsmen on Game of Thrones

Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the greatest swordsman of them all? There are many legendary knights and warriors in A Song of Ice and Fire’s‘ sprawling lore, but we are going to limit this list to the swordsmen who have made appearances on Game of Thrones. Everybody has their favorites, but here is our ranking on who best swung the steel (or equivalent weapon) in their prime. Let’s look to the Second Sons for starters.

15) DAARIO NAHARIS

An orphan of the street, Daario learned the arts of war to gain status in the Meereen fighting pits and eventually escaped slavery to earn a command position among the Second Sons. Despite his lowly status, Daario maintains a higher code of conduct than many anointed “knights” on this list: he won’t harm civilians, and he’ll only kill soldiers who are trying to kill him. Daario’s superb fighting skills and intuition are evident when he easily destroys the champion of Meereen.

 

14) TORMUND GIANTSBANE

Though a Wildling of questionable professional training, the gregarious Tormund proves his mettle over and over again by surviving in the North, killing White Walkers, Crows, and Boltons. A man can’t survive in a world like that if he isn’t good with the sword. And anybody who can both obliterate The Lord Of Bones with his own staff and ask Brienne of Tarth out on a date (or whatever the Westerosi equivalent of that its) has got the real steel cojones.

 

13) JORAH MORMONT

Though disgraced, Jorah was raised in an ancient house and trained as a master swordsman. We watched Jorah fight his way up through the fighting pits of Meereen and emerge the winner in Daznak’s Pit. Plus, that spear throw to save Daenerys from the Son of the Harpy, that was one for the ages. Legendary status works itself out in the field, and Jorah has risen to new heights in his crusade to be a champion of Daenerys Targaryen.

 

12) SYRIO FOREL

Syrio Forel is a bravo and master sword-fighter from Braavos who teaches Arya Stark the art of the water dance. Syrio is able to fight off a squad of Kingsguard with nothing more than a wooden practice sword before apparently being killed by the heavily armed and armored Meryn Trant. It would have been something to see him go into action with a real sword.

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Humor: Joffrey Photoshop battles a pug, Game of Thrones VHS covers, plus Family Guy

Game of Thrones might not strike you as the most humorous show out there. It’s no Parks and Recreation, but don’t let that fool you. The world of Game of Thrones is constantly bringing us the funnies. Case in point, Jack Gleeson, who depicted everyone’s favorite boy king Joffrey Baratheon for the first four seasons of the show, recently posed for a photo with a pug.

Innocent enough no? Look at the results of a Reddit Photoshop thread using Gleeson’s photo. They range from the humorous to the disturbing.

View post on imgur.com

Poor Ned. Arya gets it a bit worse in the next image though.

View post on imgur.com

This one would have almost made us like Joffrey. Almost.

View post on imgur.com

And finally, we have known animal lover Tommen Baratheon expressing his displeasure over the treatment of this poor innocent pug. Tommen would never stand for this to happen to Ser Pounce.

View post on imgur.com

Next, we bring you the VHS covers of each of the first six seasons of Game of Thrones. Behold these wonderful beauties, and never forget: Be kind, rewind.

GoT VHS

Now, some of you might be too young to remember VHS tapes, but us older folk grew up on them. These covers are pretty spot on for the era, though we don’t know about squeezing five episodes onto one tape. Titanic used to come on two separate VHS tapes. And other than perhaps season 5, each edition accurately reflects the primary character of that season. Sorry, Arya, murdering people in Essos wasn’t that exciting.

Last but not least, we bring you another episode of Family Guy that parodies our favorite story from the Seven Kingdoms. As always, Family Guy delivers.

It seems the only thing the Night’s Watch hates more than wildlings, is Ballers. No one tell The Rock. That guy scares us.

h/t Huffington Post

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Ellie Kendrick discusses acting, upcoming projects, and her time as Meera Reed

Meera Reed (Ellie Kendrick) carrying Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright) near the Wall / Photo: Helen Sloan/HBO

Photo: Helen Sloan/HBO

As someone who is only 26 years old, Game of Thrones’ Ellie Kendrick sure has accomplished quite a lot thus far. Besides being responsible for bringing the character of Meera Reed to life, a role she’s had since the show’s third season, the British actress is currently starring in two upcoming films: Gillies Mackinnon’s Whisky Galore! and Hope Dickson Leach’s The Levelling.

Kendrick sat down with Independent recently to discuss these various roles, and how the young actress got her start in front of the camera.


In terms of Meera’s role in GoT’s upcoming seventh season, Kendrick unsurprisingly remains tight-lipped. However, she does open up about one of the more exciting scenes she previously filmed, a north-of-the-wall fight sequence from an earlier season:

“There was one series where I had to fight with a group of zombies, the ‘wights’. I had to learn all the steps of it, like a dance. We were filming in a disused quarry just outside Belfast that had been covered in fake snow. I had to fight these stunt men who were dressed in green Lycra suits because they were going to be replaced (in post-production) by the skeletons. It was such a surreal experience. I had to do that, remember the precise timing and then film it again but with no opponents.”

skeleton wight s4e10

Growing up, Kendrick attended an all girls’ primary school, and it was there that she somewhat accidentally fell into acting. Kendrick explains that the male roles in the school’s plays were none too popular among the all-female casts, so she decided to enroll in the theatrical program and take on the task of portraying those undesired parts. This allowed her to nab roles such as Mozart in Amadeus and Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. “In the whole time I was there, I think I only played a woman once or twice”, says the actress.

On the brink of completing secondary school, Kendrick landed her breakout role as Anne Frank in the BBC mini-series The Diary Of Anne Frank. This role was followed by a stint as Juliet in a London production of Romeo and Juliet.

After subsequently taking an acting break to complete her English Literature degree at Cambridge, Kendrick quickly found her way into the Game of Thrones fold, where she continues to thrive (at least for now).

Luckily, her professional life post-Thrones, whenever that time comes, seems just as promising. Along with securing a spot in an upcoming Pulitzer Prize-winning play based in London (the details of which have yet to be released), she’s also establishing herself behind the camera as a writer and director, with multiple television projects already in development.

As much as we hope Kendrick’s Meera stays around for as long as possible (as I’m sure Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright) hopes for as well given where we left the duo last season), it looks like she’ll continue to find plenty of success upon graduation from the HBO heavyweight!

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Small Council: You can recast one actor from Game of Thrones—Who would it be and why?

Game of Thrones is justly lauded for its casting, but other options existed. Today, we’re going to have a little exercise: pick one member of the cast and replace them with a different actor, and explain why you chose who you did. Tell us your picks in the comments!

COREY: Go big or go home, right? I’m going straight to one of the main characters: Daenerys Targaryen. My choice here is a bit motivated by ambivalent feelings towards Emilia Clarke, and some wishful thinking. Clarke is a serviceable Daenerys, but I feel she tends to overact. She’s not terrible, but neither is she as amazing as the likes of Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey or Charles Dance. So who might replace her?

My choice would be Emily Blunt. Yes, age would be a problem. Blunt is 34 years old and could have trouble inhabiting the young Daenerys, but Clarke is only 4 years younger. Surely producers could figure that out.

Setting that aside, I feel like Blunt could carry the role with more strength and fury than Clarke has been able to do so far, minus the overacting. Bonus points to Blunt for being English, just like Clarke.

Blunt’s warrior roles in Sicario and Edge of Tomorrow demonstrate an inner strength that would translate well to Daenerys, especially after the character finds her footing in the later seasons. Blunt also displays the softer side needed for Dany’s quiet moments in films like Looper and The Adjustment Bureau. Blunt’s range would suit a varied character like Dany, and it would be fun to see her light up the small screen the way she does the big one.

Plus, thanks to The Huntsman: Winter’s War, we already know she looks good in a white wig. At least from what I see online. That movie looked terrible.

DAN: By and large, the Game of Thrones casting department — headed by casting director Nina Gold — does a wonderful job. I think even the show’s detractors acknowledge that. But there have been a few missteps along the way, particularly when it comes to recasts. For example, I prefer the first actor who played the Mountain — Conan Stevens — to Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, who plays him now. Björnsson is plenty physically intimidating but looks too young for the role (although I concede that as long as they keep him under a helmet this isn’t really an issue).

I also preferred the first Daario Naharis to the second one. Ed Skrein left the role after season 3 and the show brought in Michiel Huisman to replace him. Huisman is a fine actor — probably better than Skrein, to be honest — but he didn’t have Skrein’s matinee good looks or arrogant swagger. Watching Huisman play Daario, I could see the character’s thought process, and I’m not sure that’s a good thing. As described in the books, Daario is flatter than that: dangerous and wanton, but not deep. I think Skrein pulled that off better — in a weird way, his more limited range was an asset.

So my first choice would be to have kept Skrein as Daario. But because we’re recasting people, let’s shoot for the stars: have Michael Fassbender play him. Best known for playing Magneto in the new X-Men movies, Fassbender has a smoldering quality that would work well for a force of nature like Daario — imagine him turning in a version of his sexually charged performance in Shame minus all the…well, shame. As an Oscar nominee (for 12 Years A Slave and Steve Jobs), he’s overqualified for the role, but what’s the point in dream casting if we can’t make ridiculous requests?

I also have a thought on the Sand Snakes, really quick. It would take a lot more than casting changes to fix what’s wrong with those characters, but doesn’t Keisha Castle-Hughes (Obara Sand) look a lot more like Indira Varma (Ellaria Sand) than Rosabell Laurenti Sellers, who plays Ellaria’s daughter Tyene Sand on the show? I know they were casting on more than looks, but still, they’re dead ringers.

RICHARD: How about we flip the Littlefinger? I’m nominating Steve Buscemi as Peter Baelish. Why? Because it would rock. I have no problem with Aiden Gillen’s subtle, gravel-voiced portrayal of the character, but Buscemi would be an entirely different kind of fish. His Littlefinger would be far more frenetic, openly combative and an accomplished Small Council whiner. On the surface, he’d seem less effective and manipulative than Gillen’s take, but beneath his petty tirades, he’d be as quick and deadly as an asp.

And who wouldn’t want to see a small council scene where Buscemi gets as indignant as he does in Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs? Consider, for a moment, the somewhat adjusted-for-Game of Thrones scene below, as Tywin gets the members up to speed on their aliases (I’d nominate Christopher Walken as Tywin, by the way):

Littlefinger (Buscemi/Mr. Pink): “Hey, why am I Mr. Pink?”

Tywin Lannister (Joe): “Because you’re a brothel keeper.”

Littlefinger: “Why can’t we pick our own colors?”

Tywin: “No way, no way. Tried it once, it doesn’t work. You get four guys all fighting over who’s gonna be Mr. Black, but they don’t know each other, so nobody wants to back down. No way. I pick. The Hound is Mr. Black. You’re Mr. Pink. Be thankful you’re not Mr. Yellow. That’s for the Dornishman.”

Tyrion Lannister (Mr. Brown): “Yeah, but Mr. Brown, that’s a little too close to Mr. Shit.”

Littlefinger: “Mr. Pink sounds like Mr. Pussy. How ’bout if I’m Mr. Purple? That sounds good to me. I’ll be Mr. Purple.”

Tywin: “You’re not Mr. Purple. Some guy on some other job is Mr. Purple. You’re Mr. PINK.”

Varys (Mr. White): “Who cares what your name is?”

Littlefinger: “Yeah, that’s easy for your to say, you’re Mr. White. You have a cool-sounding name. Alright look, if it’s no big deal to be Mr. Pink, do you wanna trade?”

Tywin: “Hey! Nobody’s trading with anybody. This ain’t a goddamn Braavosi city council meeting, you know. Now listen up, Mr. Pink. There’s two ways you can go on this job: my way or the Volantene highway. Now what’s it gonna be, Mr. Pink?”

Littlefinger: “By the old gods and the new, Tywin, forget about it. It’s beneath me. I’m Mr. Pink. Let’s move on.”

And who wouldn’t love to see the world’s smallest violin make repeatedly aggravating appearances at the Small Council?

SARAH: I see Richard beat me to the punch with Littlefinger, although he’s a lot kinder than I am. I’m very vocal in my disdain for Aidan Gillen’s acting ability, in that I think it’s virtually nonexistent.

It’s not that Gillen is bad at playing a creepy, villainous character like Petyr Baelish. In fact, he embodies the spirit of the character quite well. The problem is, he can’t seem to recite his lines in a way that seems natural or unforced, and this lends him the air of a pantomime villain, which really sours the character for me. I didn’t notice how poorly his dialogue was executed until my brother pointed it out while we were watching the show, and now I can’t un-notice it. Thanks, Dean.

In any case, I’m still going to offer my two cents on the Littlefinger-who-could-have-been. In researching the actor who sprung to mind when I first considered this topic, the excellent Tom Hollander, I was delighted to discover that he had actually been offered the role before Gillen. Then, I was less delighted, because of course, he turned it down.

Anyone who has seen Tom Hollander in Rev, The Night Manager or 2005’s Pride and Prejudice (hell, even in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies) can agree that he’s a versatile actor. He has a magnetic presence — I’ve never watched a movie he was in and not found myself focused on him — as well as the ability to unnerve the audience with one look. He can be, in turn, creepy, devious, charming, enigmatic, cruel and calculated. And just listen to that voice.

In spite of his successful machinations and multiple betrayals, I can’t take Petyr Baelish seriously, which is a shame, because he is one of the most worrisome characters in the original novels. And I can’t help but feel that a lot of what makes Petyr so frightening is lost in Gillen’s campy performance. If only Hollander had taken the role, I believe he could have added the gravitas that Littlefinger so badly needs.

RAZOR: I am legitimately impressed by Richard’s dedication in keeping with Steve Buscemi as Peter Baelish because, without the Reservoir Dogs dialogue, I simply don’t see it.

Anyway, for my pick, I’m choosing to recast the role of Melisandre. Let me first say that that I think Carice van Houten has been amazing as the Red Priestess. And overall, I think Nina Gold has done an amazing job at filling what seems to be a difficult cast of characters. But, were I to choose a different actress for Melisandre, I would go with Eva Green, best known for her work in Penny Dreadful, where she plays Vanessa Ives, a woman haunted by Dracula and his minions, and often times, the devil himself.

Besides her work on that show, Green played Morgan Pendragon on Camelot, which, unfortunately for that show, aired on Starz at the same time Game of Thrones premiered on HBO. She’s been in several films, like Kingdom of Heaven, and when looking at her, one can’t help but get the feeling that she simply exudes sorcery wherever she goes. She just has that look. Eva Green was born to play roles like Melisandre, so if there ever were a possible recast, she would be the odds-on favorite, in my mind.

Usually, we add a poll at the end of our weekly Small Council post, however, with a topic so broad as this one, and with a cast so large and diverse as the one on Game of Thrones, we will leave it in your capable hands. What role, from the previous six seasons of Game of Thrones, or even the upcoming seventh, would you recast. Let’s discuss it in the comments below.

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Ed Sheeran dishes on his season 7 cameo

sheeran

Ed Sheeran has offered a few more details about his cameo on Game of Thrones next season and revealed a memorable – albeit odd – moment with another actor.

According to Sheeran’s interview on The Hits Radio, it turns out the singer-songwriter will be cameoing as – wait for it – a musician in Westeros. And, as we’ve previously reported, he’ll be sharing his screen time with Maisie Williams.

“I just do a scene with Maisie,” he said. “I sing a song and then she goes, ‘Oh, that’s a nice song.'”

Really, it makes sense that Sheeran would be cast in a musical cameo much the same way that Noah Syndergaard’s small role will correlate, somewhat, to his profession as an athlete. Still, it will be interesting to watch an increasingly dark character like Arya share a presumably light-hearted moment with a singer.

Sheeran offered no hints as to what his character will be singing but it’s fun to speculate. Much as I would love to hear Sheeran sing The Rains of Castamere, it’s unlikely that Arya would compliment any rendition of that ballad. Martin’s books are filled with songs that have yet to make it into the television adaptation.  It would be fun to finally hear the Rat Cook and, in light of Arya’s recent actions, it’s a likely song to win her favor. Then again, Sheeran’s character could be singing any number of songs that would appeal to Arya in one way or another: “Wolf in the Night” about Robb’s victory at the Battle of Oxcross (though that wouldn’t be the savviest song to be singing in public) or maybe “Brave Danny Flint” about a girl who disguised herself as a boy, albeit with tragic consequences. Or perhaps we’ll be getting an original composition. We’ll have to wait and see.

Sheeran also told of a memorable experience on set: “Taking a pee next to Kit Harington before I knew him, obviously being a big Game of Thrones fan,” he said.

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Watch this great video series on the History of Dragon Warfare

The dragons on Game of Thrones are its most iconic creatures. Over the past six years, we’ve watched them grow from hatchlings to enormous war machines, but there’s still a ton about them we don’t know.

There’s more information about dragons in the novels than there is in the show, and there’s more information in the supplementary materials — like The World of Ice & Fire history book — than there is the novels. All together, there’re a whole lotta facts to go around. Invicta, a YouTube channel that focuses on history, recently completed a three-video series all about it. And it’s delivered in a British accent, so you know it’s accurate.

But seriously, the videos are terrific. Watch ’em below. The first deals with dragon anatomy, diving into detail about their diet, coloration, and their relationships with their riders.

Next, Invicta dives in to the hugely important role dragons have played in the wars of Westeros and Essos.

Finally, we learn exactly how dragons are used in warfare, and how to resist them.

This last video may be particularly important. After all, Daenerys Targaryen has finally reached Westeros, and she intends on conquering it. With three dragons on hand, she could make great use of strafing, dive-bombs, and other techniques. Just as important is the way in which populations fight against dragons. Cersei will want to take note.

This video series was well-researched and compelling. If Invicta ever wants to dip back in to the world of Game of Thrones for content ideas, we’d be behind it.

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Nikolaj Coster-Waldau addresses Game of Thrones season 7 leaks & Jaime’s stare

Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey). Photo: Helen Sloan/HBO

Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey). Photo: Helen Sloan/HBO

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau continues on his promotion tour for his new Netflix film, Small Crimes —and that’s as good as opportunity as any to talk Game of Thrones, as he has done time and again. This time, the man better known to us as Jaime Lannister has addressed the dreaded leaks and their veracity, as well as the much discussed stare that Jaime gave his sister upon his return to the capital in The Winds of Winter.

BUILD hosted Coster-Waldau, who was interviewed by Huffington Post and mostly asked about Game of Thrones, something to which the actor must have grown accustomed.

“I don’t want Jaime to die,” the actor proclaimed when questioned about which character he would want to forcibly end Jaime’s story. “I want him to just slowly fade away. Just old age.” Would that it were, Nikolaj… That’s sadly not a common occurence on this show. If I am not mistaken (I may be), only Aemon can claim the honor of dying of old age.

He wasn’t about to reveal who, if anyone, will be the one to kill Jaime —if he knows at all, that is. I would say spoilers are guarded with a paranoid fervor… but it may not be paranoia after all, considering the major leak late last year, which involved a rundown of much of what’s to come in season seven. It did not go unnoticed by the cast and crew, but that doesn’t mean it was a total disaster, as there are many fake spoilers as well:

“What’s interesting, though, is every year there are huge spoilers online where people find out real stuff and they will post it, and you go, ‘Oh my God, they just spoiled the whole season online!’ But then, because there’s 10,000 other spoilers out there, they’re not real. It just gets lost in the shuffle,” the actor surmised, rather optimistically.

That said, that doesn’t mean there is no danger, as Coster-Waldau also confirms the veracity of that particular leak: “So, it’s all out there by the way… if you can find it.”

4-14

The actor also discussed the popular theory that Jaime will kill Cersei at some point, as he has done many times before —including quite recently. But this time the issue was focused on the heavily debated glare that Jaime shot at her sister at the end of last season, and if that is a clue of where their relationship may lead. Is Jaime seeing his worst nightmare in Cersei, a new mad monarch he must slay in spite of his honor?

“I was very into the scene. It’s interesting, though, how much you read into a look like that, because, it’s like, ‘Oh, clearly he’s going to leave her now. There’s no question. This is it. This is reminding him why he killed the Mad King. Now he’s going to go and kill Cersei. There’s no question about it.’ And it might happen, who knows? I mean, I know, but…” Well, Nikolaj has always been one to tease. Is Jaime going to kill her, abandon her, or both? Or neither, perhaps? That would certainly put a damper in my imagined climactic scenario in which Jaime and Brienne live happily ever after.

If you want to watch Nikolaj talk about his new film extensively, you can watch the almost thirty minutes of recorded interview here. There is some other Game of Thrones-related tidbits as well, including this tease: “Winter is here. I hope [fans will be satisfied]. I know we did our best. Everyone worked their asses off.”

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Let’s look back on some of the early, negative reviews for Game of Thrones

When Game of Thrones premiered six years ago, not every critic was impressed. In fact, some were outright hostile. Now that the show has proven itself with a Targaryen armada’s worth of accolades and awards, let’s take a look back at some of the less-than-kind early reviews.

The most famous of the early pans may be Ginia Bellafante’s review in The New York Times. While she acknowledged the show’s ambition, she worried that the sexual aspects were “tossed in as a little something for the ladies, out of a justifiable fear, perhaps, that no woman alive would watch otherwise…“Game of Thrones” is boy fiction patronizingly turned out to reach the population’s other half.”

Game of Thrones serves up a lot of confusion in the name of no larger or really relevant idea beyond sketchily fleshed-out notions that war is ugly, families are insidious, and power is hot.

Looking back, it’s pretty hard to argue that the show didn’t tackle these themes well, but things may have looked different when the story was still taking shape.

Elsewhere, Nancy deWolf Smith at The Wall Street Journal came out swinging with a total skewering. The headline? “Servants, Swords and Sad Sex.”

We’re back to the familiar favorites of the infantile, e.g. spurting blood and gore, bastard sons, evil vixens, blond nymphets, quasi-lesbian action, crude talk among men about their private parts, incest, rough couplings, and more random bare breasts than any other contender in the adolescent-boy-action-show contest this month.

Clearly, Smith didn’t think much of the show’s tone or its audience. Interestingly, she was much kinder to Game of Thrones a year later when she reviewed season 2, which she called “gorgeous and hypnotic.”

Each week the story unfolds like a tapestry, its intricate stitches slowly creating not just a scene but a whole world. It’s a world to get lost in, but not always easy to endure.

Did the show’s popularity change her mind, or was it watching more than the few season 1 episodes available for review? Questions for the ages.

Others were unsure of the show’s scope. Reviewing the first two episodes for The Boston Herald, Mark A. Perigard worried that “[k]eeping track of people—much less learning their names—is the biggest hurdle in this competent if sometimes trying adaptation.” Making his thoughts pretty clear, Hank Stuever simply titled his review for The Washington Post, “A lot to sword out.”

Negative reviews were the exception, though. A sampling:

  • James Peniewozik of TIME: “Watching Game of Thrones is like falling into a gorgeous, stained tapestry. This epic, unflinching fantasy noir takes our preconceptions of chivalry, nobility, and magic and gets medieval on them.”
  • Linda Stasi of The New York Post: “The art direction, acting, and incredible sets are as breathtaking as the massive scope of the series. A bit slow at first, but it’s a grabber once you get into it.”
  • Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly: “Stick with it. Free your eyes to take in the spectacle, and your brain will magically start following the intricate storytelling. And there’s a magical realism to Game of Thrones.”
  • Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times: “Game of Thrones … quickly becomes a great and thundering series of political and psychological intrigue bristling with vivid characters, cross-hatched with tantalizing plotlines and seasoned with a splash of fantasy … [The show] finds that rare alchemy of action, motivation, and explanation, proving, once again, that the epic mythology remains the Holy Grail of almost any medium.”

You can find even more old reviews cataloged at Wetpaint.

To put all this in perspective, let’s remember this quote from the food critic Anton Ego, in the movie Ratatouille:

In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little, yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new. The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations. The new needs friends.

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Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Emilia Clarke claims her new film is more secretive than Game of Thrones; Nikolaj Coster-Waldau discusses love interests

Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) in front of her new throne / Photo: Helen Sloan/HBO

Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke). Photo: Helen Sloan/HBO

In a new interview, Emilia Clark discussed everything from her role in the new Han Solo-focused Star Wars spin-off movie to the few indie films she has managed to cram in-between playing dragon momma for Game of Thrones. Of course, Clarke is sworn to secrecy about anything that may or may not happen in the upcoming seventh season… though, interestingly, she has a new film role that may be even more secretive than that!

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau was similarly secretive about Jaime’s journey in another interview, though he does allow himself to idly theorize about what may happen with the two powerful blonde women with whom Jaime has a complicated relationship.

Los Angeles Daily News got to sit with Clarke and talk about Voice From the Stone, an indie in which she stars that comes out this week, though it was filmed two years ago. However, Game of Thrones came up as well, in particular the silence the cast and crew must keep. In fact, now that the show is beyond the books, Clarke can genuinely claim to have absolutely no idea about what’s coming in the final season. Until the cast receives the scripts, they will just not be trusted with the much-coveted ending:

“No one knows anything. No one is told anything. It’s all crazy. It’s a secret from the cast. We generally can’t be trusted. They pretty much have told us so.”

But Game of Thrones isn’t the only hyper-secretive project in which Clarke is involved, not since she signed on to play a yet-undisclosed role in the upcoming Star Wars spin-off. Everything is a secret about this movie —and that’s including the title, which as of now is just “Untitled Han Solo Project.” When asked about the film, Clarke claims not even Game of Thrones can compare with the level of secrecy she is under for Disney:

“I genuinely can’t tell you anything other than Alden [Ehrenreich, who plays Han Solo] is magnificent, and it’s a delight to do something on that level with really cool actors and nice people. But it’s even scarier talking about that than Game of Thrones.”

Tormund (Kristofer Hivju) and Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie). Photo: Helen Sloan/HBO

Tormund (Kristofer Hivju) and Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie). Photo: Helen Sloan/HBO

In the Harper’s Bazaar interview about Coster-Waldau’s new Netflix film Small Crimes, the actor opened up just a bit about Jaime’s relationship with Cersei, and the dark path to which it may lead. There has long been a theory that Jaime may kill her sister and lover, and Coster-Waldau reiterated what he has previously said about the issue:

“I heard that theory, and it absolutely makes sense. It would be a perfect little nod. But who knows? You’ll have to watch the show [laughs]. It’s a good theory”, the actor conceded. But there is a catch: “I always thought maybe it’s too neat, but who knows.”

But Cersei isn’t the only woman in Jaime’s life. There is also Brienne, with whom a certain red-bearded wildling seems to have gotten quite smitten. What does Jaime think about this possible Tarthbane relationship? Apparently nothing, because he can’t:

“I don’t think he knows about it. He’s not on social media, so he’s not getting the play by play”, the actor jested, cleverly avoiding the spirit of the question.

Fair enough, Nikolaj. But what would he think, if he knew? Would Tormund’s advances make Jaime realize that, perhaps, he has his own buried feelings about Brienne? As an ardent proponent of their relationship, I’m very much looking forward to find out!

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Emilia Clarke: “No one knows anything” about Game of Thrones season 8

Emilia Clarke is a busy actor. Beyond Game of Thrones, she has two films coming out this year — Voice from the Stone and Above Suspicion, the latter of which features Clarke doing a Kentucky accent. “Breaking up ‘Game of Thrones’ with these kinds of movies makes me happy,” Clarke told the Los Angeles Daily News. “If you go off and do something that’s really fulfilling, something that pushes you by asking the more fundamental questions about character and being human, it only enriches your performances when you then go back and do the bigger stuff like ‘Game of Thrones.’”

Speaking of GoT, Clarke is staying mum about the upcoming seventh season, but she gave an idea of what she and her castmates know about season 8…or rather, what they don’t know.

No one knows anything. No one is told anything. It’s all crazy. It’s a secret from the cast. We generally can’t be trusted. They pretty much have told us so.

With the show now well beyond George R.R. Martin’s books and preparing to film its final year, the producers must be more nervous than ever about safeguarding the story’s secrets. Having been on the show from the start, Clarke is probably used to the gag orders, which is coming in useful now that she’s been cast in an unnamed role in the as-yet-untitled Han Solo standalone film, due out in 2018. “It’s even scarier talking about that than Game of Thrones,” she said. HBO has nothing on Disney.

Beyond that, Clarke is thinking about what she’ll do after Thrones is over. She’s an actor, but as it ends up, what she really wants to do is produce. “I read a lot, and I tend to read with an eye toward would this be interesting to watch?”

[Reese Witherspoon] She’s now an actress that is thought of very seriously as a producer and a legitimate presence in creating roles for women. I’d like to do something like that.

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House Hunters Westeros—A guide to buying property in the Seven Kingdoms

In this edition of House Hunters Westeros, we have a young mother looking to move back to the land of her birth. With three large, fire-breathing children in tow, Daenerys Targaryen has a very specific list of must-haves for her next home. With that in mind, the good folks at Bellacor have prepared this list of potential castles for the Mother of Dragons. It can be used by anyone looking to make the move to the Seven Kingdoms.

 Castle Hunters: Game of Thrones Edition
Image Created by Bellacor.com

For a queen returning to her kingdom, the Red Keep might seem like a natural place to settle, but at $743 million the ancestral seat of House Targaryen is over budget. However, as the guide notes, Cersei’s refusal to pay the Crown’s debts may lead the Iron Bank to repossess her home, and that could lead to a bargain.

Highgarden could also serve. At 292,500 square feet, the castle is second in size only to the Red Keep, and comes in under Dany’s budget. The space should prove sufficient for Dany, her dragons, and the rest of her armada. The Reach’s moderate weather and robust agricultural infrastructure are also pluses.

Our choice might be the Eyrie, which offers a combination of low price (14.8 million), safety (located on top of a mountain), and size (65,000 sq ft). Winterfell and Castle Black are decent bargains, but would likely require more renovation than Daenerys wants, and we aren’t sure the Property Brothers are licensed in Westeros.

And of course, she could keep it in the family by settling on Dragonstone, which is where her ancestors first set up shop when they came to Westeros hundreds of years ago.

Which will she choose? We’ll find out on June 16 during the premiere of the new season of House Hunters Westeros…uh, Game of Thrones.

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Who is Azor Ahai? Take a look at this handy chart!

Who is Azor Ahai? The Lord of Light’s chosen? The Prince Who Was Promised? The messiah who will save mankind from the Long Night? That’s one of the most persistent questions among fans of A Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones. The myth of Azor Ahai is mentioned often in ASOAIF, usually by Melisandre. Here’s her retelling the prophecy that foretells his/her coming:

There will come a day after a long summer when the stars bleed and the cold breath of darkness falls heavy on the world. In this dread hour a warrior shall draw from the fire a burning sword. And that sword shall be Lightbringer, the Red Sword of Heroes, and he who clasps it shall be Azor Ahai come again, and the darkness shall flee before him.

And again, later:

When the red star bleeds and the darkness gathers, Azor Ahai shall be born again amidst smoke and salt to wake dragons out of stone.

There’s even a story to go along with the legend, about the first Azor Ahai. Long ago, he needed to forge a sword to fight the great Other. His first try took him 30 days and 30 nights. But when he tried to temper the sword in water, it shattered. The second time, it took him 50 days and 50 nights, and this time he captured a lion and drove the sword into the lion’s heart, but again, the sword shattered. So the third time, he worked for 100 days and 100 nights, and with a heavy heart drove the sword into the heart of his wife, Nissa Nissa. The blade combined with her soul to create Lightbringer.

So who among the current cast could be the reincarnation of this legendary figure? Redditor Alutic, thinking ahead, created a very serious chart on the subject, ranking 13 candidates from most to least likely.

Hot Pie is in the top 5, which means this chart is valid and should be considered legal and binding.

Note that the name “Azor Ahai” has never been mentioned on the show. Melisandre did mention “the Prince That Was Promised” when talking about Jon Snow, though, after she brought him back from the dead. “The Lord let you come back for a reason. Stannis was not the Prince Who Was Promised, but someone has to be.” And Kinvara the Red Priestess called Daenerys “the One Who Was Promised” when she visited Tyrion in Meereen.

So who is Azor Ahai? Well, if you go by this wonderful chart alone, it’s Daenerys. She’s checked the most boxes on the prophecy checklist, and there even by some the chart misses. For example, could Khal Drogo have been Dany’s Nissa Nissa. And could Tyrion, a lion of Lannister, be her sacrificial lion?

Or Azor Ahai is Tommen’s cat Ser Pounce. That seems more likely:

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