Sports announcer forecasts Season 6, and San Diego Padres to host Game of Thrones night

Game of Thrones is crossing into sports lately. It’s not quite as amusing as when it crosses into politics, but I’ll take it.

First, Jim White of Sky Sports puts a twist on the usual sports announcer formula when he calls it like he sees it when it comes to Game of Thrones Season 6. Who’s alive? Who’s dead? Who’s injured? Check out the play-by-play.

Points for referring to the Night’s Watch mutiny as a “training ground bust-up” and to Ramsay Bolton as Theon’s “manager.” This seems to be an advertisement for the first five seasons of the show appearing on Sky. Kudos for having fun with it.

In other sports news, the San Diego Padres will host a Game of Thrones-themed night on July 29.

Brace yourselves… Baseball is coming #PadresThemeNights #GameOfThronesNight on 7/29 🛡⚔ pic.twitter.com/CONqM423a4

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) February 1, 2016

See above re: kudos for having fun with it. Septa Unella really was the break-out star of Season 5, wasn’t she?

Game of Thrones-themed nights have done well for baseball teams before. When the Staten Island Yankees did one in 2015, they changed their names to the Staten Island Direwolves and faced off against the Lannister Lions, lately the Hudson Valley Renegades. There was an Iron Throne made out baseball bats, the mascots re-enacted a more family friendly version of the Red Wedding, George R.R. Martin showed up, and everyone had a grand old time.

h/t SB Nation

Via http://winteriscoming.net/2016/02/01/sports-announcer-forecasts-season-6-and-san-diego-padres-to-host-game-of-thrones-night/

Baltimore Mayor Supports Divine Poop Monument

Baltimore Mayor Gives Support for Eight-Foot Monument to Divine, Featuring Dog Poop

By Moze Halperin (Flavorwire, January 29, 2016)

Divine (aka Harris Glenn Milstead)

The corner of Read and Tyson Streets in Baltimore will forever bear the glorious ghost of an iconically filthy moment: Divine (aka Harris Glenn Milstead), as Babs Johnson in John Waters’ Pink Flamingos, asserting her status as the “Filthiest Person Alive” by watching as a dog poops, approaching the poop, and then eating the poop.Soon — Kickstarter gods willing — this moment will be commemorated with an eight-foot-tall monument at that very street corner. No, it’ll no longer be a ghost people step through unawares (incidentally, much like dog poop), but rather a gargantuan, unmissable work of art, homage, and filth.

And apparently Baltimore’s mayor, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, is completely down. The Baltimore Sun quotes her spokesperson, Howard Libit, saying, “The mayor thinks that the idea sounds divine and looks forward to seeing more details on the proposal.”

According to the Kickstarter for the project, the sculpture will be made of marble and granite and “will clearly reference other devotional spaces built for contemplation and reflection,” with the dog poops crafted from bronze, lounging, from the looks of it, at the foot of the monument. The face of the late icon — in full drag makeup — will stare out from a memorial arch. The crowd-funding page says:

At first glance this monument might masquerade as a typical devotional space, but make no mistake with a second look across the alley, the piece will irreverently and outrageously scream in pitched Bawlemorese, “Hey, damn it. I’m right here — and I’m simply DIVINE!”

The monument idea started with Michal Makarovich — owner of the Hampden Junque antique shop — who noted the amount of people who’d visit Baltimore who were interested in John Waters’ relationship to the city, and the city’s relationship to John Waters.

Hampden Junque proprietor Michal Makarovich (photo by Jen Rynda, Baltimore Sun Media Group)

The design for the project comes as a collaboration between Baltimore artists David Hess and Sebastian Martoran. Here’s a preliminary design, by Martoran:

Apparently, the monument will be a “gift of public art” — and one whose budget is 70,000 dollars — but is technically on mostly private property (it’s against the side of a house), and could ostensibly remain even if the city weren’t to condone it.

The “Divine Monument Team” has until March 26 to earn the $70,000 minimum in their Kickstarter campaign — donate here to make this idea an eight-foot reality.

Related Links:

A Divine Idea for a Baltimore Monument (Baltimore Or Less)
Pink Flamingo Divine Chien (dailymotion.com)
How much is that doggy in the window? (YouTube)
The Pink Flamingos Location (YouTube)
Divine: This Place Designated a Museum (Baltimore Or Less)
Divine and John Waters on “Pink Flamingos” (YouTube excerpt)
Divine on WJZ-TV’s “People Are Talking” (YouTube)

Tags: divine, dog poop, john waters, monument, pink flamingos, read and tyson street

from Baltimore Or Less http://www.baltimoreorless.com/2016/02/baltimore-mayor-supports-divine-poop-monument/

Game of Thrones picks up an Art Directors Guild Award on top of its SAG Award

Awards season is coming to an end, and Game of Thrones is still making its presence known. We already reported on its fortunes at the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards: although Peter Dinklage lost the Best Male Actor award to Kevin Spacey on House of Cards and the cast lost the Best Ensemble award to Downton Abbey, the show nabbed the award for Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series. In other words, “Hardhome” was awesome.

A shout-out to the brave stunt-people who gave their lives fighting Drogon, as well.

Meanwhile, Game of Thrones picked up an award from the Art Directors Guild, which held a ceremony honoring the best in production design just last night. The show won in the ‘One-Hour Period or Fantasy Single-Camera Series’ category, beating out series like Downton Abbey, Gotham, and Mad Men. Congratulations to production designer Deborah O’Reilly!

The show was nominated specifically for episodes “High Sparrow,” “Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken,” and “Hardhome.” It’s obvious why the ADG would mention “Hardhome,” but I’m glad to see that it also honored “High Sparrow,” probably for beautiful panoramas like this one…

…and “Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken,” probably for the amazing sets, such as:

“Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken” will probably always be remembered for the silliness down in Dorne and Sansa’s rape, but I do think it’s deserving of a production design award. As nasty as the aftermath was, Sansa’s wedding in the Winterfell godswood was stonking gorgeous, and the Hall of Faces in the House of Black and White was an awesome set.

 

Via http://winteriscoming.net/2016/02/01/game-of-thrones-picks-up-an-art-directors-guild-award-on-top-of-its-sag-award/

Game of Thrones wins the Art Directors Guild Award!

Yesterday, Game of Thrones won another award for season 5. The show took home the Art Directors Guild Award for art direction in a One-Hour Period or Fantasy Single-Camera Series, beating Downton Abbey, Gotham, The Knick and Mad Men.

Game of Thrones was nominated for its art direction in three episodes in particular- “High Sparrow,” “Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken,” and “Hardhome,” and the fine work by GoT’s team took home the prize last night.

Best One-Hour Period or Fantasy Single-Camera TV Series goes to DEBORAH RILEY for #GAMEOFTHRONES #ADGawards #GOT pic.twitter.com/UZpWyFlAf9

— Art Directors Guild (@ADG800) February 1, 2016

Production Designer Deborah Riley accepted the award on behalf of the art direction team which included the Supervising Art Directors Paul Ghirardani and Christina Moore, Art Directors Philip Elton, Hauke Richter, Iain White, Nick Wilkinson and Mark Lowry, Assistant Art Director Brendan Rankin, Graphic Desinger Jim Stanes, Concept Artists Nick Ainsworth, Peter McKinstry and Kieran Belshaw and Set Decorator Rob Cameron.

Riley has been the Production Designer on Game of Thrones since season 4 when she took over from Gemma Jackson. This isn’t the first honor she’s received for her work. She won the Emmy last year for Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Contemporary or Fantasy Program (One Hour or More) for the episode, “High Sparrow.”

The post Game of Thrones wins the Art Directors Guild Award! appeared first on Watchers on the Wall.

Via http://watchersonthewall.com

Game of Thrones’ Gwendoline Christie (Brienne) Returning to Star Wars

Although she did not have that many scenes in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Gwendoline Christie’s chromed-out stormtrooper Captain Phasma was definitely the topic of many an Episode VII discussion. And, despite her character suffering a seemingly unceremonious end, Gwendoline Christie will in fact be returning in the as yet subtitled Star Wars: Episode VIII.

Christie was interviewed at the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards by People, where she spilled the galactic beans:

I will be in the next Star Wars movie.

Gwendoline briefly discusses what went into her getting the role of Captain Phasma in The Force Awakens:

I was very over excited. I made no secret of the fact that I really campaigned for the part for a long time. And then I was delighted when J.J. Abrams wanted to have me in the film and then wanted to cast me in this role that had originally been designed for a man.

Here’s a couple of fun facts about Gwendoline Christie’s The Force Awakens character: the chromed armor look for Captain Phasma was originally slated for main baddie Kylo Ren. Lead costume designer Michael Kaplan originally conceived of Kylo as Lord of the Stormtroopers before J.J. Abrams scrapped that idea. It wasn’t until later, when Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy saw the Phasma drawings, that she fell in love with them and decided to cast the role with a woman.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens: The Visual Dictionary tells us that the shiny chrome is actually called Chromium, and was salvaged from the now deceased Emperor Palpatine’s yacht from his homeworld of Naboo. I wonder if Phasma has a connection to the former Dark Lord of the Sith? I suppose we’ll have to wait until Episode VIII to find out.

The worldwide theatrical premiere of Star Wars: Episode VIII has been pushed back to December 15, 2017, which means if Brienne survives Game of Thrones Season 6, she will once again be doing press for a new Star Wars movies while filming a new season of the show.

Visit Dork Side of the Force for all your Star Wars news, rumors, and information needs.

Via http://winteriscoming.net/2016/02/01/game-of-thrones-actress-gwendoline-christie-brienne-returning-to-star-wars/

Maisie Williams admits she was a “Wimp” over “Being Blind” in Season 6

Maisie Williams avoided most interviews on the SAG Red Carpet this weekend, but the same didn’t hold true for Entertainment Weekly’s Friday night pre-awards show party. In a short interview with Vulture, Maisie Williams was asked about her experience filming Season 6. Unlike some of the actors who speak in grandiose terms but give few specifics about the season (hello, Emilia Clarke!), Williams decided to drill down to the nitty gritty details of what filming the beginning of the season was like for her, in order not to give anything of the story away.

Not much left but the floors, nothing lives here anymore
Except the memories of a few minor spoilers

———————————————————————-

At the very end of Season 5, Arya goes blind after killing a mark who was not her assigned victim. As one might expect, said blindness will be a feature of her first few episodes. Though we already knew that from filming spoilers and Williams’ Instagram feed, she confirms the news in this interview. With her sight removed, she’ll be dependent on her other senses at the beginning of the season. Unfortunately, the “huge contacts” (which she said at the end of Season 5 were terribly uncomfortable) did not get any easier to wear this year and she was “a bit of a wimp” about it.

I was so confident at the end of the last [season], like, Oh, [wearing them] was fine, I can’t wait, but it’s been actually a bit of a task. They’re very painful, they’re like huge and they’re very thick.

Williams also said in interviews after Season 5 that the contacts were painted, so they really did make her blind. That certainly helped when getting into character. “Pretending to be blind is much easier when you actually can’t see anything. So I did actually love them. For close-ups and stuff it was great, but for wide shots I was like, ‘Can we take them out? Is that okay?’”

Poor Maisie! Let’s all breathe a sigh of relief for her when Arya is allowed to regain her sight.

Via http://winteriscoming.net/2016/02/01/maisie-williams-admits-she-was-a-wimp-over-being-blind-in-season-6/

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau: “The Opening Scene of Season Six Will Reveal…”

The cast of Game of Thrones came out for the SAG Awards this weekend in Los Angeles, including, to many people’s surprise, Kit Harington, who has thus far been AWOL for these Season 5 Award Events, despite the insistence that it was his last turn on the show. Harington avoided reporters on the red carpet, so unfortunately we don’t have video of him being forced to insist that his character is dead, and that he had little to nothing to do with the show this coming season. But other actors and actresses from the series were not so lucky in their time. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, for example, found himself buttonholed by Giuliana Rancic, who demanded to know what was in store for Season 6. In response, Coster-Waldau opened up about what we can expect to see in the very opening scene of the forthcoming season.

“The opening of the show, of Season six, will reveal that Jon Snow…. is dead. But that’s not a big surprise, really.”

This may be my favorite quote in “how to avoid talking about the thing everyone wants you to talk about game” so far. Except maybe Gwen Christie’s “Spoiler” that Game of Thrones Season 6 comes back in April.

Meanwhile, in the slightly more forthcoming category, Emilia Clarke once again gushed about how much this season was going to blow everyone’s minds, and how hard the actors has to work to pull it off.

I love how Clarke admits she’s one of the best marks for reporters in getting information. She also suggests the best mark outside of herself is Alfie Allen. I’m sure he appreciates that.

Over on AccessHollywood, Liam Cunningham is hilarious talking about going to the SAGs, and gives a bit away about his reaction to the Season 6 scripts.

The “this is going to be a tough season to watch” is the first time we’ve heard that–most of what the cast has said runs the gamut from “epic” to “amazing. Cunningham is right though–in their own way, every season is tough to watch. Why should this one be any different?

In another interview snippet, Liam Cunningham and John Bradley talk about surpassing the books, while Tom Wlaschiha, who plays Jaqen H’ghar, talks about the filming locations he was in this season.

And finally Sophie Turner reiterates what she said at the EW pre-SAG party–that this is the season Sansa finally gets the respect she deserves.

Let’s hope that for once she really does.

Via http://winteriscoming.net/2016/02/01/nikolaj-coster-waldau-the-opening-scene-of-season-six-will-reveal/