I don't give a damn about "Game of Thrones," and I don't even want to hear about why I should. But I do like the screwup of including a Starbucks cup.
Meanwhile, over on "American Idol" — which I do watch, and I don't need to hear about why I shouldn't — Katy Perry picked her butt:
When you forget your on live TV! 😂— CAITLIN (@KCCAITLIN_) May 6, 2019
You get that wedgie girl 😂💖 @katyperry @AmericanIdol
pic.twitter.com/Do3YaeACjt
They eliminated my favorite contestant, Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon. The voters didn't want him, and the judges — faced with two losers and with only one "save" to give — chose the other loser. It was obvious her performances were worse, but to save the boy and send home the girl and leave a final 5 with 4 males and only one female was apparently intolerable. And I think the show's effort to portray Jeremiah as rejected by his conservative parents because he's gay kind of backfired. His parents weren't public figures who deserved public scorn even if they were awful, but they were a lot nicer to him than the show wanted to make it look, as Jeremiah himself pointed out back when he was soaring in the competition (in early April):
It's interesting, the narrative that's been told so far, because the things that I've said are that it has been a challenge coming out in a conservative Christian environment, and that my parents don't accept that part about me, which is true. But I've never said that my parents have rejected me, or don't accept me as me, their son. And that in combination with my parents not being able to make it to the first couple performances and [not being] featured on the show yet, you know, it's easy for people to take that and run with it and say, "Oh, Jeremiah's parents are these monstrous, abusive people," which in reality, they're just trying to integrate this experience and they're processing it in their own way.Maybe if the show had tried a little nuance and treated the religious parents with respect, the viewers would have felt more warmth to Jeremiah — who wrapped himself in religion last night, singing "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot":
And it's not like they totally outcasted me, it's just ... I was living with my parents, and our differences caused me to decide to make an alternative living situation for myself, you know? And it's a lot more nuanced than it's presented, obviously. But I think at the heart of it, it's just, we have our differences, but we still love each other and are there for each other no matter what. And I think I'm personally really excited to get the full story on the show, like what we look like on the other side of the struggle, after I've quit my dad's church job, after I've moved out. Like what does our relationship look like after that, because the reality is that we've grown a lot together, you know?
Do you think that that nuance is something that's not ... that may be the reason that people aren't understanding it is because in this post-woke world we live in, people can't grapple with the idea of someone having their parents not accept their sexuality and still trying to work through that?
I think it is a bit of that. It's easy for people to put things in black and white. You know, people want to see this protagonist-antagonist dynamic. And there's a lot more gray to anybody's situation. I think that is really the story that needs to be told, because of course — and not to downplay the reality that there are people who are totally rejected by their loved ones because of their sexuality — but I think it's also just an important story to tell that there's also people that are just really grappling with trying to be normal and trying to keep that conversation going with their family, and to coexist even though they disagree or can't accept someone's sexuality. I think that's almost even more of a difficult story to tell.
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143 comments:
I didn't notice the cup last night, but will check it out later. It is possible that it was placed there deliberately.
I wonder what Starbucks will do with that bit of product placement. Fortunately for them it was the good queen who drinks their swill.
"Katy Perry picked her butt."
LOL - that should be a song or the name of a new garage band.
Thank you for not watching Game of Thrones. I watched Sunday night PBS and was in heaven for 3 solid hours. Thanks.
GOT opening up a time travel sup-plot. People who have accepted the premise of flying fire-breathing dragons piloted by a feminist queen should have no problems with that.
'Game of Thrones':
vying for a place in line to use the Starbuck's restroom
aspic NOUN
a savory jelly made with meat stock, set in a mold and used to contain pieces of meat, seafood, or eggs.
"I don't give a damn about "Game of Thrones," and I don't even want to hear about why I should. But I do like the screwup of including a Starbucks cup."
The Starbucks cup is hilarious. Someone joked that it was a hint the GOT world overlaps with Westworld.
It sounds like you've been harassed and vaguely traumatized in your life about GOT. Are your neighbours and friends evangelizing the show to you? I do not like how some judge entertainment choices. We like what we like. People have different preferences. My mother doesn't watch any of this stuff. As a kid, my father took us to sci fi & fantasy movies and gave us those books. My husband loves it, but we have no urge to convince others. My DH read some of the books before the first season, and then I read the books. Martin is a slow writer and needs a editor, but there are sections of genius.
This weekend, a friend told us how annoyed he was by the lighting choices. But we don't evangelize entertainment preferences & did not tell him how much we enjoyed the ambiance once we turned off all our lights to watch the Battle of Winterfell.
Anyone who can afford the injections can (ahem) pick their butt.
I picked my butt and I liked it
I picked my butt just to try it
Thank you for not watching Game of Thrones. I watched Sunday night PBS and was in heaven for 3 solid hours. Thanks.
What's showing on PBS now? We're looking for another show. Just curious, but I don't understand why it's annoying that others like GoT.
I was living with my parents, and our differences caused me to decide to make an alternative living situation for myself, you know?
Back when I was a young pup, moving out of your parents' house so you could have a sex life & a private life of your own, was, uhhhhh, normal. It wasn't "your parents abandoning you". It was you "becoming an adult".
I know, I know, that was so long ago, Jesus was riding around on a dinosaur.
A Vegas take on GOT from a madman who will do anything to sell you a car.
When I heard about that I LMAO. It's the usual case of a show overextending itself, like movie sequels.
Continuity errors are fun to find, and they can give new enjoyment to films and old TV shows that have lost every other value. There are websites and blogs devoted to the pastime. For example, there's an old Jeffery Hunter war movie called Sailor of the King in its American release (just comparing American titles to British ones are fun though not too enlightening) which involves a battle between a lone RN sailor and a German light cruiser. The sailor (Jeffery Hunter) tries to delay the escape of the Germans by sniping at the crew who are trying to repair damage to the ship's bow. After enduring heat, thirst, and shelling from the German cruiser He succeeds and is given the VC. Hoorah. After digesting that malarky it's amusing to rewind and count how many times his rifle changes from an Enfield to a Springfield and back again.
The foam coffee cup in plain sight is already a thing, but it will not lend a smidgen of entertainment value to a series I have previously judged valueless. The episodes are shot on a Red Monstro 8K digital cine camera. With that kind of bit depth, President Trump could lead a SEAL team on a raid on the studio, and the editors could erase him and every one of his entourage without needing a retake. The cup is a deliberate "Easter egg" intended to generate viral discussions like this one. Congrats.
I agree with you, Ann, about American Idol.
1) Jeremiah did not get the save because the producers wanted two women in the final four.
2) The producers made too much too big a deal about Jeremiah's parents.
------
Laine will win, and that will be a good outcome.
BleachBit says: I watched Sunday night PBS and was in heaven for 3 solid hours. Thanks.
I've been watching Les Miserables as it's only six episodes. The novel has been far too compressed for six hours, IMO, but I never liked the novel, anyway. I read it while home sick from junior high school--all four volumes. The 'buried in the coffin alive' scene was riveting in the book but I wonder if it will get left out? The villains seem a bit overwrought and Cosette was more polite in the novel. And Marius is supposed to be handsome!
"I wonder what Starbucks will do with that bit of product placement. Fortunately for them it was the good queen who drinks their swill."
A good queen. That's yet to be seen, no? Perhaps we will learn more in the next episode.
Is it good leadership if innocents will be killed due to bad strategy? The show is a discourse on power, love and honour. Jaimie Lanister, "The things I do for love." The things we do for power. The things we do for family, honourable and not. The things we do for mankind, against the terrors of the night. The importance of strategy. Who will abandon honour? Who will live, and die, honourably? Who will be foolish, blinded by fatal flaws?
Howard Schultz making a play for the Iron Throne?
Treat the parents with respect? DON'T IMMANENTIZE THE ESCHATON!
I won't tell you to watch Game of Thrones. Seasons 3 and 4 were among the greatest things ever put on television. 1, 2, 5, and 6 were all very good indeed. Seasons 7 and 8 are so bad they are threatening to unravel the entire reputation of the show. While the showrunners were on the original source materials, even when they added or removed something, it was always still brilliantly done. When they left the original source materials entirely in 7 and 8, they were Lost.
Katy Perry did go all in for Hillary. Is this a coincidence?
"Just curious, but I don't understand why it's annoying that others like GoT."
Not sure what the case here is, but some people award themselves a badge of honour for not doing as the masses do, while having no real sense of what the masses are actually doing, and why they're doing it. In this case the masses are doing it because it's high quality, excellent story telling in the mold of the other greats of this most recent golden age of television - Breaking Bad, Sopranos, The Wire, Better Call Saul etc. If you tried GoT, and it wasn't for you, that's one thing. If you haven't tried it on some kind of weird assumptive principle, there's a good chance you're being dumb while imagining you're being smart, and that's entirely another thing.
I've not seen GOT, but I suspect they'll end the series by indicating the whole thing took place inside some kid's snow globe.
they do offer a Dragon Fruit Refresher, so maybe...
Winter is coming, but it goes better with a caramel latte.
Althouse: OFF TOPIC, did you know unions were skimming union dues from MEDICAID PAYMENTS? And I thought the Dems could never sink lower, now this. Trump just stopped the practice. Now the Demtards have $71 million dollars less for their re-election war chest. But the Dems are for the "little guy!" LOL
https://freebeacon.com/issues/admin-halts-disability-dues-scheme/
The Zucker Brothers got considerable comedy traction from exposing common studio tricks, such as the passenger train apparently departing a station when the "train" is actually stationary and it's the "platform" that's doing the departing. Modern productions like GoT lack enough sincerity to be innocently fake, ergo they are immune to such affectionate ribbing.
"to save the boy and send home the girl and leave a final 5 with 4 males and only one female was apparently intolerable"
But why? I invite y'all to think deeply about this.
I watched Billions and DVR'd GOT.
Diversity, sexism, transgenderism, Starbucks, and other urbane treats.
wwww,
For what it is worth, I was disappointed in last night's episode- really disappointed for the first time in the series' run. The plot holes were just jarring- like Jon's insistence that Sansa and Arya deserve the truth about his birth. Why? He doesn't want the throne, and telling them only makes it more likely that it becomes a complicating factor in a coming conflict that he is not only committed to, but believes in. He isn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but he isn't this stupid either.
In addition, Dany getting snuck up on at Dragonstone was hilariously obtuse writing. She has lost one dragon by being careless, but that carelessness was a bit explainable- no one knew the Night King had a weapon to a kill a dragon, much less the arm and aim of a magical Tom Brady. In last night's episode, she knows Cersei possesses a dangerous weapon, and could have easily defeated this threat by doing just a bit of reconnaissance from on high, or just on the damned ground. It is like these people don't know the benefit of scouting out things before moving on. Part of me, and this is based on the preview sequence, is that they plotted it this way because the second dragon really isn't dead. If that is the case, it is even more stupid.
I am prepared to be really disappointed next week if Dany attacks in the daylight. Hello darkness, my old friend.......
> When they left the original source materials entirely in 7 and 8, they were Lost.
George Martin apparently had the same problem,
And if Cersei is your true enemy here, well, Arya knows how to get close enough to end her. Why hasn't she just offered to do that? Would save a lot of lives.
"If you haven't tried it on some kind of weird assumptive principle, there's a good chance you're being dumb while imagining you're being smart, and that's entirely another thing."
I mostly agree. But I know my mother wouldn't like GOT. She doesn't get any sci fi/ fantasy. As a kid she tried to watch it with us. There's something about alternative universes that disrupts her ability to process and enjoy character development or narrative arcs. But she's not annoyed that we like it.
One hypothesis is that some might feel left out because they don't get the fun of it? Meanwhile twitter is trending on it, there's funny gifs, and there's all these jokes they won't get. We've had such fun watching it.
"Seasons 3 and 4 were among the greatest things ever put on television. 1, 2, 5, and 6 were all very good indeed. Seasons 7 and 8 are so bad they are threatening to unravel the entire reputation of the show."
Agree, but I loved season 1. Loved the Ned Stark arc, the fatal flaw and the discussion of honour. Seasons 7 and 8 are much less quality, but I still find it compelling. It's as if we're reading the author's proposal and outline of a novel, rather then reading the book.
"Do you think that that nuance..."
I have a personal hatred of using the same word twice. It's sometimes unintentional and tolerable in spoken context, but when written it irks me to no end.
@chuck, TBH I wouldn't be massively surprised if on May 20, Mr. Martin announced that the two remaining books were complete and would be published asap, and that they were just waiting for the show to finish all along.
I also wouldn't be massively surprised if he does no such thing.
When we were in Independence Hall some years ago, it was thrilling for my family and me to see an actual copy of the US Constitution signed with a liquid gel pen.
People always give them impression that "Everyone" is watching GoT or the Sopranos or Breaking Bad or [insert popular Elite TV Show]
In fact, 17 million people watched GoT last Sunday, which means 300 million Americans were NOT watching it. I see this a lot with old boomers. Intellectually, they know we have 200 Cable Channels, but they still think "everyone" is watching the same popular TV shows, y'know like when 1/2 the country watched the end of MASH. Only we're not in Kansas anymore, Toto.
GOT reminds me of Mad Men. The writer and/or producer did a great job for the first couple seasons, then decided to string it out for more $$$$, and quality of the show nosedived.
Talking to some GoT fan-boys is always hilarious. Whenever i criticized the show for excessive Rapes and violence, I'd get the response "Well, that's how it was back in medieval times. That's just realism". Yeah, "realism" in GoT. That's why we got a fantasy Kingdom with zombies, magic, and Dragons. LOL.
"I'm going to get a "NO I DON'T HAVE TO WATCH GAME OF THRONES" T-Shirt to go with my "I DON'T GIVE A FUCK ABOUT YOUR FANTASY FOOTBALL TEAM" one.
As for the Starbucks Coffee. Just imagine that when John snow came back from the dead, they gave him some Starbuck Latte's to go.
Mock, I've not read the Novel. I've seen different adaptations of it. First time I watched it as a stage play at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. Hated it. Saw it again at a little theater in Longmont, and I loved it.
'buried in the coffin alive' scene - yikes. It's even more miserable that I thought. wow.
It's almost over, Ann...almost over.
Yah, Mango Dragonfruit Lemonade in an insulated cup so it doesn't freeze.
ATTN: skip this comment if you want to avoid spoilers on GOT.
Yancey,
ohh that's an interesting comment. Here's my take on it. It's much lower quality because they are moving it forward too quickly. Much better when they were following Martin's book rather then his outline. That said, I don't see plot holes so much as the fatal flaws being revealed too quickly.
Jon Snow loves his family and is loyal to them. He is honest, perhaps to a flaw. That compels him to tell Arya and Sansa the truth, despite the fact he does not want the throne. Like Ned Stark, he is compelled to act on a course that is not strategically wise. His honour, basic honesty, and love and loyalty towards family, compels him to bring the troops to King's Landing, when waiting out the winter is the better strategic choice.
Dany, meanwhile, is driven by another fatal flaw. Her insecurity about Jon, and his loyalty and love, is driving her towards King's Landing. The things we do for love. She's never been a great strategist when she ignores her advisors; Jorah, who might have given good advice that she would heed, is dead.
"And if Cersei is your true enemy here, well, Arya knows how to get close enough to end her. Why hasn't she just offered to do that? Would save a lot of lives."
There's no guarantee Arya would be successful. But, anyways, it's not how she was trained to operate as an assassin, nor is it in her character to do so. Arya operates outside of the lines of command. She's not the type to share her plans with anyone. She's not a knight, she's not a lady. She does have business in the capitol; Jon and Sansa know what she'll try to do if she gets the chance.
Over all, I do not expect a happy ending, but I do think Cersei will be defeated. Sansa is playing out as the best strategist in the show. Jaimie is riding back, and we'll see what or who he loves. And what he'll do for love and honour.
She's picking her seat because she's going to a show.
I went to bed at 7 PM last night. So, like every other single night this year (when I've been at my house), I did not watch TV.
Not as bad as the sailboat sailing on the horizon in Lost
"In fact, 17 million people watched GoT last Sunday, which means 300 million Americans were NOT watching it."
It has a global audience, and is streamed on multiple platforms, DVRd etc. As of the other day, 40 million people had watched the season 8 premiere, and it set some kind of Guinness world record. In a relative sense, it's still an awful lot of eyeballs/minds/hearts tuned to the same thing.
For the record, a relatively recent show that stays strong to the final minute is The Americans. Definitely worth a watch.
Girl in a hot dress picking her seat with a notable absence of shame. It was nice.
@wwww, there is no way they have Arya both unmake the Night King and kill Cersei. If they do they may as well name it The Arya Show, and reshoot the opening so that Gendry and Arya are hanging around their living room in Storm's End and Gendry trips over the couch on the way to greet Rose Marie and Morey Amsterdam.
Kevin,
I agree. I think Jaime will be the one to end Cersei's reign, and he will probably do it after she defeats Jon and Dany in battle. That, at least, is my prediction.
"It has a global audience, and is streamed on multiple platforms,"
So what? We have 6 billion people on planet earth. How many were watching GoT? Lets say 100 million were. That means 5,900 million people weren't.
I was thinking this had happened before on GoT, but I think instead there was a water bottle on Downton Abbey.
Ahhh just in a promo photo shoot on that one.
"Are your neighbours and friends evangelizing the show to you?"
Ha ha. People who know me in real life know better than to try to push me to do something.
In "Die Hard II", which was set in Washington DC, Bruce Willis made a phone call on a pay telephone with the PacBell (Pacific Bell Telephone)logo on the dial.
"Part of me, and this is based on the preview sequence, is that they plotted it this way because the second dragon really isn't dead. If that is the case, it is even more stupid."
The pointed and unnecessary conversation between Cersei and Euron about the dragon's death suggests that this is the case.
My favorite one was, I forget the movie, but Jean-Claude Van Damme supposedly has just entered the world and he is learning how to behave by copying everybody, he sits down in a restaurant to eat, looks around to see how it’s done, everybody is eating American style, of course, but he begins eating what I call Dutch style, because it’s how my mother eats. It turns out that it’s European Style.
The Zig Zag Method
By American custom, which was brought about partly by the late introduction of the fork into the culture, all three utensils are intended for use primarily with the right hand, which is the more capable hand for most people.
This leads to some complicated maneuvering when foods, such as meat, require the use of knife and fork to obtain a bite of manageable size. When this is the case, the fork is held in the left hand, turned so that the tines point downward, the better to hold the meat in place while the right hand operates the knife.
After a bite-sized piece has been cut, the diner sets the knife down on the plate and transfers the fork to the right hand, so that it can be used to carry the newly cut morsel to the mouth
European Style
The European, or “Continental,” style of using knife and fork is somewhat more efficient, and its practice is also common in the United States, where left-handed children are no longer forced to learn to wield a fork with their right hands. According to this method, the fork is held continuously in the left hand and used for eating. When food must be cut, the fork is used exactly as in the American style, except that once the bite has been separated from the whole, it is conveyed directly to the mouth on the downward-facing fork. Regardless of which style is used to operate fork and knife, it is important never to cut more than one or two bites at one time.
"there is no way they have Arya both unmake the Night King and kill Cersei."
I agree it's unlikely; but if she gets a chance, she will try for it. And she's got other business in King's Landing. On Storm's End and Gendry: she's rejected it, in the nicest possible way. Is it possible for her to fit into the role of the lady at Storm's End, even after Cersei is gone?
"I think Jaime will be the one to end Cersei's reign, and he will probably do it after she defeats Jon and Dany in battle. That, at least, is my prediction."
She's pregnant with his baby. I think he has a role, but not sure which way he jumps.
BTW, get over the fact that people like Starbucks. I accept that people like Game of Thrones, and it’s only on-line, OK mostly on-line where people ask me “Have you accepted Game of Thrones as your favorite show of all time?” I won’t make you drink Starbucks, which is better than average coffee, and it’s always good to know that you can get a decent cup of coffee traveling, and you don’t make me watch Game of Thrones.
"Just curious, but I don't understand why it's annoying that others like GoT."
It's not treated like other TV shows. It's reported as news, both before and after the episode airs. It's treated as if the plot points are real events that need to be discussed in advance and analyzed afterward. It's not talked about as if it's a work of art, where the aesthetic values are considered. It's discussed as if it's a real place and it matters who gets the "iron throne." And there's a lot of talk about who will die and whether they're dying in the order predicted.
Too many stories about it cluttering the front pages of news sites. Also, too many references to it in articles about other subjects. It's assumed that these are the references people today want to hear. I don't understand the reference other than that it's to GOT. It seems unimaginative -- always the GOT reference. I'm certainly not going to watch the show so I can get references to the same thing over and over again. The writers who do the references seem to be trying to look hip and in the know, but it's the same reference everyone else is making. That's the opposite of cutting edge.
Anyway, I have some sympathy, having grown up in the era when everyone watched the same shows on TV so it was easy to refer to things and be understood. You could cycle through any number of shows. And back then it was always considered a little lazy and stupid to watch TV, so there was no idea that it was hip just to be making a reference. You had to ADD hipness or it was kind of embarrassing.
"Ha ha. People who know me in real life know better than to try to push me to do something."
People who don't really know you out here in not real life know better than to try to push you to do something, too. It must be like a universal constant.
Amazing they didn't "paint" that out.
I mean, did Starbucks have lids back then?
The writer and/or producer did a great job for the first couple seasons, then decided to string it out for more $$$$, and quality of the show nosedived.
BoJack Horseman. First season was great, the second season was good, then it seemed to reach an ending spot for the story arc and they started doing partisan politics. It’s like the lefties were celebrating that the creative people were done, and they got to take over.
I watch GoT. I have not watched any of the other shows that have been mentioned so far. My other weekend show is "American Gods", but I'm not thrilled with the second season. I'm looking forward to "Good Omens" at the end of the month, but it's a limited show - just telling the story of the one book, not a series.
“Oh, you are out of story ideas? Well I have a whole stack of them! Let’s start with a very special episode on abortion!"
GoT really went downhill when Cousin Oliver was cast.
oops- sorry for all of the white space.
copy and repost to get rid of the white space.
Althouse,
Thanks for the response post. That makes sense, although I don't quite get why it's so annoying. Is GOT really on the front page of newspapers and not in the entertainment sections? Honestly, I find GOT so much more interesting then domestic daily news.
From my POV it's unusual to have so many normies involved in a book plot that often appeals to a much smaller segment of the population. It's rare for a fantasy book to be so well presented on screen, and it was so faithfully done until season 7. GOT seems to compel on multiple levels, and the battle scenes and boobies have been part of it. I'm highly entertained and amused by all of the gifs, memes, and jokes. I think some are relatable without reading the books or watching the show -- like the starbucks cup.
Here's Honest Trailers on GOT, seasons 1-3. It's pretty funny & you don't need to see the show to laugh at it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVaD8rouJn0
Or this joke that's circulating on facebook and twitter: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D55cHkpUUAAhCdh.jpg
Every Group project ever:
Sansa: Disappears at the Very Beginning and Does Show up until the End.
Jon: Forgets his job because of his GF
Bran: Says he's going to help but he's not
Arya: Does 99% of the work
wwww/Kevin: Whether or not Arya gets to off Cersei I still rather fancy my proposed ending, which leaves Tyrion and Sansa on the Iron Throne and Arya telling them she's going away for some Me Time...last scene, with the camera behind her, she's in the House of Black and White taking off the Arya face and putting it up next to the face of, say, Sirio Forel--or perhaps Jaqen Hagar--or maybe both. Aaaand, Fade to Black.
Nobody: Being married to an Englishman for 40+ years, I adopted the 'European' style of eating which definitely makes more sense. Why have to change utensils for every bite? My sister insists it makes one 'look like a lumberjack'. I can't say I've seen lumberjacks eat. It is a bit much, though, to see Europeans balancing peas on the back of a fork. Actually, I much prefer chopsticks.
@wwww If someone had told you, back in 1994, that in 25 years time Tyrion Lanister, Daenerys Targaryen, Thanos, and Tony Stark would be household names, you would have thought they were stoned, right? It's a funny old world.
"My sister insists it makes one 'look like a lumberjack’.”
That’s funny, because it’s a little bit true.
If Jamie were to kill Cersei, this would make him Kingslayer AND Queenslayer.
I think Jamie will be in a position to do it, but won't be able to, at which point Tyrion will do it. Brothers, Kingslayer and Queenslayer, it works, I think.
Of course, if Dany gets driven to madness by recent events and needs to be taken out, I can see Tyrion earning the title that way as well.
I wouldn't be massively surprised if on May 20, Mr. Martin announced that the two remaining books were complete and would be published asap, and that they were just waiting for the show to finish all along.
It's unlikely he ever finishes the books.
You have to picture a brawny lumberjack in a red flannel shirt and a dark blue knit hat, at breakfast in the lumber camp, attacking a pile of flapjacks with his fork never empty. He needs the high efficiency of the method.
It's not treated like other TV shows. It's reported as news, both before and after the episode airs. It's treated as if the plot points are real events that need to be discussed in advance and analyzed afterward. It's not talked about as if it's a work of art, where the aesthetic values are considered. It's discussed as if it's a real place and it matters who gets the "iron throne." And there's a lot of talk about who will die and whether they're dying in the order predicted.
Too many stories about it cluttering the front pages of news sites. Also, too many references to it in articles about other subjects. It's assumed that these are the references people today want to hear. I don't understand the reference other than that it's to GOT. It seems unimaginative -- always the GOT reference. I'm certainly not going to watch the show so I can get references to the same thing over and over again. The writers who do the references seem to be trying to look hip and in the know, but it's the same reference everyone else is making. That's the opposite of cutting edge.
I would think that it might interest Ann that a massive number of people are enjoying a shared experience without regard to their politics or victim class. While there is almost no subject that can be discussed that isn't contaminated by TDS, the water cooler conversations about GoT are usually free of the daily issues that always seem to divide us. It's a demonstration of the fact that, around the world (the series is truly an international phenomenon), there is far more that we have in common than would appear when looking at the evening news or picking up any daily newspaper.
I've been in the television business for many years having worked at two broadcast networks, two large studios, and produced television (successful) series and a (failed) feature film. We are in a period of extraordinary television riches, and GoT is at the peak of peak television.
- Krumhorn
HBO acknowledges mistake because herbal tea, not latte, supposed to be her order. Does seem more in character.
"I don't give a damn about "Game of Thrones," and I don't even want to hear about why I should."
I had the same experience a few years ago with "The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown. Everyone insisted that I HAD to read it. So I tried and hated it - really pedestrian crap.
Personally I like GOT, but I don't get people that feel they have to evangelize it - or any other show for that matter.
As for the Starbucks cup - Continuity Guy or Gal was asleep at the switch. It must have been seen during editing, someone decided it wasn't on long enough to be a serious problem.
While there is almost no subject that can be discussed that isn't contaminated by TDS, the water cooler conversations about GoT are usually free of the daily issues that always seem to divide us.
I remember when sports were in that category. :-(
They could use Starbucks coffee as a caustic acid to pour on their many enemies. It's also a good dragon repellent.
"My sister insists it makes one 'look like a lumberjack’.”
Nobody replies: That’s funny, because it’s a little bit true.
Maybe so but my sister's experience with lumberjacks is probably very limited. Or maybe not.
1) American Idol -- My wife and I thought Jeremiah should have been picked by the public as a really fine performer, but he wasn't. If we're right, he'll have a great career and can get laughs about not being picked -- like Einstein having to take the cruddy job because his genius wasn't appreciated. As for Katy Perry's dress issue, she was wearing a VERY short VERY tight dress, which raised the immediate question of what sort of exposure was she risking (or teasing)? The butt gesture suggest that she was wearing a thong, so the frontal exposure risk was minimal. Good to know.
2) Game of Thrones -- I read the first novel and enjoyed it until the end, when it left all sorts of loose ends, which meant that you either had to go on to the next (and the next and the next) novel in the series, or quit. I quit. And I never saw any of the TV shows. Sci/Fi and fantasy novels in series can be worthwhile, I've read Lord of the Rings at least 4 times, and all the Narnia books, etc., etc., but I wasn't ready to commit to an open-ended series of GOT, and I'm not sorry, particularly now that I have an idea of how many volumes lay ahead of me to get to the end. If there's an end.
I haven't watched TV in 10 years and almost never watched it before then. You name the famous TV series, I have never seen an episode. Used to have a bit of a weakness for sports.
No I'm not superior--just weirder.
"...trips over the couch on the way to greet Rose Marie and Morey Amsterdam."
The little over-the-air network MeTV started showing Dick van Dyke reruns last night, Sundays at 11 ET, two episodes. The first five weeks are Carl Reiner's personal top ten - last night "That's My Boy?" and "Coast-to-Coast Big Mouth."
>>It's not treated like other TV shows. It's reported as news, both before and after the episode airs. It's treated as if the plot points are real events that need to be discussed in advance and analyzed afterward. It's not talked about as if it's a work of art, where the aesthetic values are considered. It's discussed as if it's a real place and it matters who gets the "iron throne."
Ann,
It's talked about that way because Martin has been working on this for a lifetime, and the depth and intricacies of the history and backstory are incredibly detailed, unlike any other work of fiction. That's why it takes him 7 years to write a book.
In "Breaking Bad", for example, we know that Walt is a teacher, who worked part time at a car wash. Pretty typical character shorthand for a TV show.
In GOT, we have the entire backstory of all the Starks, for example, going back dozens if not more generations, and what each one did, and how they related into their contemporaries from the other houses, and how that lead to the alliances, conflicts, etc. over the centuries.
It's not like anything else. It reads like history. The only parallel I can think of is "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell" with its voluminous footnotes, which also read like actual citations and reference.
I must confess you remind me (just a little) of those who used to say "Oh, I don't even own a TV", almost always said with a tone that implied that made them intellectually superior or better people somehow.
I have not read any of the novels- and won't unless Martin finishes them. The man could drop dead of a stroke at any time. I hope is nearly finished with, at least, a strong outline so that someone will be able to finish it up. I read that he hasn't published a single novel of the series since GoT debuted in April 2011- that is a long time.
Attn Fernandistein. Wikipedia writes: "Sometimes the word caustic is used as a synonym for corrosive, but caustic refers only to strong bases, particularly alkalis, and not to acids, oxidizers, or other non-alkaline corrosives."
Actually, Wikipedia has it right. You can use the oxymoron 'caustic acid' till the cows come home and quote any number of articles to support your position but that won't make it correct from a chemistry standpoint. But what difference, at this point, does it make? :-)
Maybe they could have an American Idol GoT crossover where the characters sing to decide who gets killed. Also, a disabled child gets a home makeover, and everyone cries.
Ratings bonanza.
"If someone had told you, back in 1994, that in 25 years time Tyrion Lanister, Daenerys Targaryen, Thanos, and Tony Stark would be household names, you would have thought they were stoned, right? It's a funny old world."
It is crazy, and I love it, but I wasn't given the books until years later. My extended family has no shame about geeky activities. It's fun to see the rest of the world enjoy it.
"It's not like anything else. It reads like history."
LOL! True. Honest trailers: "it's like a history test but with dragons."
"Whether or not Arya gets to off Cersei I still rather fancy my proposed ending, which leaves Tyrion and Sansa on the Iron Throne and Arya telling them she's going away for some Me Time...last scene, with the camera behind her, she's in the House of Black and White taking off the Arya face"
I endorse this ending. Although, would Sansa be willing to leave Winterfell?
"I would think that it might interest Ann that a massive number of people are enjoying a shared experience"
This is a fun part of the experience. There are some fun on-line reaction videos to the surprises in GOT.
"I read that he hasn't published a single novel of the series since GoT debuted in April 2011- that is a long time."
Dance with Dragons came out later that summer. I'm not a conventional reader of the books. I follow one character through many books & I skip the character story lines that are less interesting to me.
Martin is a slow writer. I wouldn't be surprised if he does not finish the series.
@DanTheMan: Ever hear of Tolkien?
"Game of Thrones -- I read the first novel and enjoyed it until the end, when it left all sorts of loose ends, which meant that you either had to go on to the next (and the next and the next) novel in the series, or quit. I quit."
You didn't really miss anything. George Rapey Rape Martin hasn't written the final novel. Novels 2 and 3 were good and advanced the story, but the last two were just time wasting money grabs designed to spin the whole thing out. Supposedly 'The Winds of Winter" will be coming out soon, but Martin has been saying that for years. He's 71 and looks as healthy as "Comic Book Guy" - so...
I was pretty enthusiastic about Hill Street Blues at one time but,in retrospect, that show was not Dickens. Still, it was pretty good and GoT is better.......Part of the fun is catching the historical parallels. Up until the last season, just about every event dramatized on the show had a literary or historical precedent of some kind --including some truly weird happenings. It's said to be based on the War of the Roses, but it brings in the Mongol Horde and killer Franciscan Friars as needed to keep the plot moving......The show is fun to watch but you're not a bad person if you don't watch it. I watched one episode of Sex in the City. You're a bad person if you liked that show.
Martin did what a lot of writers do. Instead of going into more depth with the same characters and continuing the main plot, he got sidetracked into writing about subsidiary characters or creating new characters - who usually got bumped off before the book ended. So main story at the end of Novel 5, hadn't much progress since Novel 3. We're still for winter to come.
"I was pretty enthusiastic about Hill Street Blues at one time but,in retrospect, that show was not Dickens."
I didn't like HSB when it was on except for Dennis Franz and the Black/white detective team. I've seen a few episodes in reruns, and still don't like it. Too much soap opera and PC for my taste. The Jewish cop, the Lesbian cop, the polish cop, the Vietnam Vet Cop, the Hispanic cop, etc. Did they get around to having an Asian Cop?
Here's something that actually happened that night be of use in future GoT episodes---and yes there will be more. There was the Christian commander of an island fort who surrendered to his Ottoman beseiger. The commander and his troops were supposed to be allowed to keep their weapons and go home. When they came outside the fort, the Ottoman decided that they were surrendering in an arrogant way and killed them all. He had the body of the Christian commander stuffed and mounted. The stuffed body was kept in his storeroom as a conversation piece. That's some GoT shit right there. Perhaps someone could do that to Cersei and maybe use the stuffed body as a sex doll.
I’ve been watching episodes of an old 60s tv show, just out of interest in the look of it and the style of acting. It’s not even very good, but it’s mildly pleasant and interesting to me because I so clearly remember that time.
there was that precursor to the prisoner, secret agent man, that was being shown on the action movie channel charge, it was an interesting contrast with the avengers series that bookended it,
"I don't give a damn about "Game of Thrones," and I don't even want to hear about why I should."
What a strange and narrow minded statement to make. It is unclear how someone can get that emotional about something they have not seen (I assume she did not read the books either). Personally, I don't give a damn whether she or anyone else gives a damn about a TV series
I suppose cruel neutrality applies, except when it does not, depending upon what our hostess feels at the moment.
> So main story at the end of Novel 5, hadn't much progress since Novel 3.
I bought the first three books when they came out, and never any after. Reminded me of the Wheel of Time series, which I quit after the first three books because nothing ever happened. Nothing really happens in GoT after the beginning either, it stalled out in a swamp of incidental stories. The individual chapters were often excellent -- Martin is a good writer -- but the story died.
I’ve been watching episodes of an old 60s tv show, just out of interest in the look of it and the style of acting.
Which one? People keep telling me, styles of acting have changed, but I don't see it. To me acting has been pretty much the same for the last 50 years in TV/Film. The only difference I see is the Leading men/women are less charismatic but better actors.
Did AA finish with Friends and I missed the series review?
rcocean said...People always give them impression that "Everyone" is watching GoT or the Sopranos or Breaking Bad or [insert popular Elite TV Show] In fact, 17 million people watched GoT last Sunday, which means 300 million Americans were NOT watching it. I see this a lot with old boomers. Intellectually, they know we have 200 Cable Channels, but they still think "everyone" is watching the same popular TV shows, y'know like when 1/2 the country watched the end of MASH. Only we're not in Kansas anymore, Toto.
Extrapolate to "twitter mobs" and other Internet Outrage Machines. Sometimes I suspect that most twitter mobs are perhaps six people who really give a damn about the issue at hand, then a handful of people who retweet or share with barely a thought, and the rest are bots and other randomness...but the press feels the need to portray twitter mobs as indicative of the broader culture.
(FWIW, I joined twitter shortly after it launched, and I found it very useful at the time. It was a great way to reach out to knowledgeable people in both professional and personal contexts. I gained thousands of followers, posted thousands of tweets, and engaged in some valuable conversations. That probably lasted around three or four years, at most, after which twitter became a cesspool inhabited by little more than PR people, activists, and journalists. At that point, twitter as a "conversation" essentially died.)
That's a helluva gaudy dress on the dear butt picker.
Each time I see her the troweled on makeup is heavier.
Each time I see her the troweled on makeup is heavier.
#NoJudgment... or #TooManyJudgments. It's Pro-Choice.
"Hauke Richter, 'GoT' Art Director for the past 5 seasons, tells TMZ ... the notorious cup is NOT from Starbucks, but rather a local coffee shop in Banbridge, Northern Ireland near where they filmed." - TMZ
Link
"I’ve been watching episodes of an old 60s tv show . . . "
I decided to do that with I Spy, Season 3 ('67-68) when I was old enough to watch. Although I know one of the stars is a non-person.
Hopefully this is the thread where people get that show out of their system.
I thought that Jeremiah was a bullfrog.
Geez, n.n.
She's judging others every show ;)
I don’t think it was called “I Spy” I think it was called “I Investigate Cloaked."
Darn !
I wanted to see how Chuck would tie Trump into Katy's wedgie.
Disappointment is my only friend...
"GoT really went downhill when Cousin Oliver was cast."
I laughed so hard reading this that my husband had to know what was so funny. He didn't get it. It's the only "GoT reference" I get... and it's hilarious!! Thank you for saying something relevant to my world.
Phiddipus muses: I thought that Jeremiah was a bullfrog.
Yeah, he was a good friend of mine.
She should have repeated it and turned it into a dance move.
>>@DanTheMan: Ever hear of Tolkien?
Of course. And JRRT created very elaborate backstories and histories as well.
In my opinion, Martin goes much deeper and much wider into the backstories, and the way he weaves them all together, and how it all fits is what makes it read like history.
It's just a guess, but I think Martin figured all of this out in advance in intricate detail, and JRRT added background as he went.
I watched a few episodes of GoT by renting DVDs from Netflix, as I don't have HBO and can't stream movies. The episodes--the first five or six I watched--were enthralling. [Although the sex scenes were overdone. Very!] The dwarf was my favorite character. As renting DVDs would take forever with so many episodes, I gave it up. But maybe when I'm back home [Leaving for Alaska next Monday] I'll get Netflix streaming via DISH and binge on the whole thing.
Amazingly perfect validation timing !
Blogger Snark said...
"Just curious, but I don't understand why it's annoying that others like GoT."
Not sure what the case here is, but some people award themselves a badge of honour for not doing as the masses do, while having no real sense of what the masses are actually doing, and why they're doing it. In this case the masses are doing it because it's high quality, excellent story telling in the mold of the other greats of this most recent golden age of television - Breaking Bad, Sopranos, The Wire, Better Call Saul etc. If you tried GoT, and it wasn't for you, that's one thing. If you haven't tried it on some kind of weird assumptive principle, there's a good chance you're being dumb while imagining you're being smart, and that's entirely another thing.
5/6/19, 2:14 PM
Blogger JRoberts said..
I've not seen GOT, but I suspect they'll end the series by indicating the whole thing took place inside some kid's snow globe.
5/6/19, 2:16 PM
I have never watched Game of Thrones.
I have friends who watch it and rave about it. I weary of hearing that "Winter is coming" when all around me is Spring, and Summer is on the way.
Okay, so Winter is indeed coming once we pass through Summer and Fall. Sheesh.
> and binge on the whole thing.
That's my plan, haven't watched any of the episodes yet. Of course, I need to get something better than my monitor to watch them on.
Blogger Qwinn said...
If Jamie were to kill Cersei, this would make him Kingslayer AND Queenslayer.
I think Jamie will be in a position to do it, but won't be able to, at which point Tyrion will do it. Brothers, Kingslayer and Queenslayer, it works, I think.
Arya got to do it. Sneak in, put on a happy face, and slice 'em up.
Blogger cronus titan said...about this posted sentence from AA, "I don't give a damn about "Game of Thrones," and I don't even want to hear about why I should."
What a strange and narrow minded statement to make. It is unclear how someone can get that emotional about something they have not seen (I assume she did not read the books either). Personally, I don't give a damn whether she or anyone else gives a damn about a TV series
I suppose cruel neutrality applies, except when it does not, depending upon what our hostess feels at the moment.
Cronus, I haven't even seen one second of Game Of Thrones, have no idea what it is about, and can safely say I care even less than Ann what happens. I don't think she is 'emotional' just because she doesn't share you enthusiasm for the show. But that is what is great about America, every one is free to pursue their own pastimes and hobbies.
Dunno, not giving a damn is pretty strong emotional language. Just find it strange someone could get that fired up about something they know nothing about. You don't care because you're not interested. You did not make a big deal out of it. I confess I find it obnoxious when people rant against something they know nothing about. I enjoy this blog but one must indulge our hostess' occasional quirkiness.
....I don't give a damn about "Game of Thrones," and I don't even want to hear about why I should. ..
I’m with you 99%. I don’t give a damn about it either. I’ve not watched any of it. I’m not smug about not watching it. I just don’t care about it. The missing 1% is simply that I don’t mind hearing why I should. I answer that I keep on not giving a damn about it.
I don't give a damn about "Game of Thrones," and I don't even want to hear about why I should. ..
You're only missing one of the greatest story telling feats in TV history. It's an amazingly rich and complex viewing experience. You'll change your opinion when you start binge watching in your dotage.
Althouse might have hated olden days when everyone made reference to old and new testaments and treated them like descriptions of real events.
Wait till GoT clues make it to the NY Times crossword!?
What to do then!
Althouse might have hated olden days when everyone made reference to old and new testaments and treated them like descriptions of real events.
Have you accepted Game of Thrones as your personal Lord and Savior?
I have a personal hatred of using the same word twice. It's sometimes unintentional and tolerable in spoken context, but when written it irks me to no end.
"Sailor wanna hump hump bar" is funny.
also you should never go to Jamaica
[Ever hear of Tolkien?]
Of course. And JRRT created very elaborate backstories and histories as well.
In my opinion, Martin goes much deeper and much wider into the backstories,
I love both of theses stories but this is incomprehensible. Tolkien wrote thousands of years of history including many fully developed life stories. Martin writes vignettes.
I have it on good authority that the Starbucks cup was explained in a deleted scene:
After a day of slaughter, Daenerys really needed to stop at a bathroom. Her code of ethics forbade her from using the Starbucks facilities without buying anything--though she didn't have to (cut to image of Philadelphia 911 incident)--so she ordered the venti, triple-shot non-fat latte, no sugar. When the barista asks if she needed a cardboard sleeve, the camera pans to her calloused hands, toughened by the fire of dragons that she rides all day. Daenerys smiles faintly and takes the cup without the sleeve, pops in the green swizzle stick that seals the top for transport. She enters the gender-neutral bathroom. Fade to black...
The real question is: what happened to the green swizzle stick?
Of course they chose the girl. They needed the balance. I think they wanted Jeremy but balance is more important than talent. To me the out of place person in the finals is not the girl but the one-trick-pony Alejandro. To me, he missed a big opportunity to show he's more than a male version of a breathless singer like Allison Krauss. Starting White Rabbit softly was on track but he never moved into real Grace Slick type belting out those final verses. They turned up the music and his microphone but he didn't change.
I don't give a damn about "Game of Thrones," and I don't even want to hear about why I should. But I do like the screwup of including a Starbucks cup.
Did you see the Television ad where the character - He was in front of the queen - broke through the screen, went into a movie theatre and out into the street and brought something back into the movie. I don't know what. The product is alwasy suppposed to be the point of the commercial, but I had no idea what it was - I guess other people were familiar with it.
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