Via NYMag. It almost feels like I should leave this one for TomL, but I think we’ve earned a little joy tonight…
Wednesday Evening Open Thread: Pop Culture Break
From NYMag‘s Vulture blog:
It’s a busy time at HBO. Game of Thrones continues to dominate the pop-culture news cycle, plus Darren Aronofsky’s adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s MaddAddam books is getting off the ground, and Damon Lindelof’s take on Tom Perrotta’s novel The Leftovers is about to premiere. But not all adaptations move forward as expected: The HBO version of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods isn’t happening after all. Vulture caught up with HBO’s president of programming Michael Lombardo last night at amfAR’s 5th Inspiration Gala to get the skinny on the network’s current state of affairs.
When George R.R. Martin said that he might extend the Game of Thrones series to eight books, did that make you delighted or horrified?
Delighted beyond comprehension…
The whole production seems so daunting that I didn’t know if an eighth book would be considered one more obstacle.
No, no. Honestly, I mean, the thought that we would end it [is upsetting] — by the way, there’s so many stories left to tell, I just hope [showrunners] Dan [B. Weiss] and David [Benioff] are still game. It’s a little bit of a personal challenge I don’t think they contemplated when we initially found our location in Belfast, what that meant for them personally … Belfast is not the most cosmopolitan of cities to spend half of the year….
Also, is anybody else curious about CBS’s upcoming summer series Extant?
On the positive side, for me: Spielberg, Halle Berry, Goran Visnjic. On the negative: Spielberg’s AI [*shudder*] , and Terra Nova.
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Apart from all that, what’s on the agenda for the evening?
Wednesday Evening Open Thread: Pop Culture BreakPost + Comments (158)
GoT Open Thread
Should be a good one.
Open Sunday-Night TV Thread: Sherlock Teasers
Since there are people here who might consider this relevant to their interests, an Exclusive from NYMag‘s Vulture blog:
On Monday, the third season of Sherlock will become available for streaming exclusively on Netflix. The service will also stream Sherlock Uncovered, a set of three half-hour making-of specials following each episode, and Unlocking Sherlock, a one-hour behind-the-scenes feature about the making of the series. To mark the occasion, Vulture caught up briefly with executive producer Steven Moffat and his wife, producer Sue Vertue, who told us a rewatch could prove enlightening…
More, including a video clip on casting, at the link.
We’re so old & staid, last night we finally replaced our solitary near-vintage CRT television with a modestly sized flatscreen, so we look forward to a pleasant evening rewatching Cardcaptor Sakura DVDs. Netflix is my substitute for cable, so yes I am planning to (eventually) catch up with the Sherlock excitement…
What are y’all gonna be watching this evening?
Open Sunday-Night TV Thread: <em>Sherlock</em> TeasersPost + Comments (59)
Conspiracy Theory
I’m watching the rock and roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, and they just inducted Grohl and Nirvana, and I just cringed the entire time Courtney Love talked. I am not a fan of conspiracy theories, and I hate speculating on unconfirmed shit, but I have always thought she killed Cobain. I have no facts or anything at my disposal, but I just think they were all fucked up and something happened.
Grohl’s speech was predictably awesome.
Open Thread: Mongo Only Pawn in Game of Life
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Since the 40th anniversary (!!!) Blu-Ray version of Blazing Saddles has just been released, Esquire has an interview with Mel Brooks:
ESQUIRE.COM: Looking back, what are the memories that stick out most from making the movie?
MEL BROOKS: I always thought Richard Pryor was going to be the black sheriff. I just assumed it. Richard was one of the writers [on the film] and then Warner Brothers said, “No, he’s got a drug problem, he’s not well-known as an actor.” And I was just like, “Trust me, this guy’s the funniest guy who’s ever lived. He’s going to be a big movie star.” And you know, two years later he did Silver Streak.
ESQ: And you were so disappointed they wouldn’t give him the part that you quit the film.
MB: I walked out and then after three days Richard grabbed me and said, “Look, if you leave I don’t get my last payment as a writer.” So I came back and he was like, “C’mon, we’ll find somebody.” So Richard and I looked diligently and when Cleavon read one line we looked at each other and that was it. He was the handsomest guy we’d ever seen in our lives. And Richard was like, “He’s really black, he’s going to scare the shit out of these people.”…
ESQ: Going back to Blazing Saddles, is it true when you first showed it to the Warner Brothers executives, none of them laughed?
MB: It was about a dozen executives at a screening room at Warner Brothers and, no, there were two guys that laughed. Now, not so loud, they didn’t want to hurt the other people’s feelings. But the ten other guys in the room didn’t laugh and at the end Leo Greenfield, who was in charge of domestic distribution — nice guy, I got along with him — but he said, “I have to voice my feelings, I think we should bury the picture and eat the money and not release it. It’s disgusting and I don’t want the Warner Brothers logo on it.” And [John] Calley [who ran the film division] said, “Well, let’s have a screening,” and that was a big, big hit. Right from the opening credits — the WB logo burning through and Frankie Laine singing and the whip cracks — that was it, we were home free. The hell with executives, the hell with politically correct. The manager said he’d never heard laughter like that in that movie house….
Much more at the link.
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Amazon Video
Has anyone bought anything and streamed it from Amazon? I bought Season Six of Sons of Anarchy in HD because it was 30 bucks cheaper than the blu-ray, and I am shocked at the quality. It’s amazing. It’s light years better than the HD on Netflix.