The Game of Thrones and Real History

If you have not thought about the parallel of HBO's Game of Thrones to real history, this earlier video from The Real Life can help you to see the relationship between Westeros and Great Britain. The video goes into geography (I see Ireland), Roman history (the northern wall to keep our wild northern men, for example), and family dynamics (the War of the Roses, for instance).  In fact, and entire second video dedicated to the War of the Roses comparison is also available. 

It is hard to believe all of this was not already deep in the mind of George R.R. Martin, and in fact he admitted such years ago.  As an Irish Central article recently noted:
 
Speaking at Comic Con two years ago, Martin revealed that not only was Co. Kerry perfectly redrawn, but the Fingers at the Vale of Arryn were, in fact, the Dingle Peninsula, and several other major Irish cities share their locations with famous Westeros landmarks: King’s Landing as Galway, Donegal Bay as the Sea of Dorne, Belfast as Old Town and Dublin as Casterly Rock.

Of course, others offered up even wilder theories, such as this Slate article that redraws the lands from the Game of Thrones over all of Europe. For instance, Russia would be the Wild North because: 

Vast with sparse population. Ports hold the most population and power (White Harbor = St. Petersburg). Long and hard winters. Impossible to invade (just ask Hitler and Napoleon). One of the last parts of continent to leave the Old Gods = pagan/polytheistic religions and convert to the New Gods = Christianity). Moscow = Winterfell because they are in the middle of a vast frozen land.

I imagine many other comparisons can be made.  And where would Brexit fall in all of this?  Will the results be worst than the White Walkers?  The book is still being written.
  

Departure of Charles Osgood

Some voices will be missed, and the gentle voice of Charles Osgood will be one of them. As host of CBS's Sunday Morning, he had brought a light touch to the weekend right before 60 Minutes hits the airwaves with the latest scandal. Now after 22 years he will be saying goodbye. 

In announcing his depart, Mr. Osgood stated:

For years now people -- even friends and family -- have been asking me why I keep doing this considering my age. I am pushing 84. It’s just that it’s been a joy doing it!  Who wouldn’t want to be the one who gets to introduce these terrific storytellers and the producers and writers and others who put this wonderful show together? I want to thank all of them, and all you in our still-growing audience, for your support and encouragement. It's been a great run, but after nearly 50 years at CBS -- including the last 22 years here on ‘Sunday Morning’ -- the time has come: and a date is set for me to do my farewell ‘Sunday Morning.’

Sad news for those of us who enjoy his narration each Sunday, yet also good news because he will still keep his hands in the news and Sunday Morning will continue. 

Italian TV: Gomorrah

Tonight SundanceTV will premiere a new Italian mob drama called Gomorrah. Set in Naples, this popular series has already had two seasons in Italy and two more seasons have been promised. This is your chance to tap into a foreign favorite if you don't mind subtitles. 

Here is a little more from SundanceTV:

GOMORRAH charts the course of a great criminal empire and explores the complex family ties and interpersonal dynamics within this emotionally fraught and dangerous world. Within this powerful clan are figures both big and small who battle alongside and against their ‘family members’ and rivals. 

Don Pietro is the head of the Savastano clan, one of the most powerful and influential Neapolitan crime families, and embodies the role of the distinguished old-school godfather. His power is based on force, and violence is his means of silencing any and all challengers. At his side is Ciro Di Marzio, the picture of an obedient and self-assured right-hand man. Ciro knows better than anyone what it means to be a loyal clan member, but his faith in the ‘family’ is shaken when he realizes what ends Don Pietro will go to in order to keep his power. When Don Pietro is sidelined by a long jail sentence, Ciro’s own code of honor forces him to obey Pietro’s orders: he is to guide and protect Pietro’s son Genny, the heir to the Savastano empire, grooming him to take his father’s place until Don Pietro is free to command once more. While attempting to carve out his own foothold of power within the clan, Ciro must contend with Genny’s youthful impulsiveness, the iron will of Don Pietro’s wife, Lady Imma, the family’s growing unrest without their godfather and rival organizations bent on claiming Savastano territory.

And it sounds like the action is pretty piercing. Here is New York magazine's Vulture on the new show:  

If your main complaint about The Sopranos was that there was too much about suburban entitlement and psychiatry and not enough scenes where people discuss how they're going to kill somebody and then kill them, this show is made for your needs.

This is a modern family with some real issues. I think I can get past the subtitles. 

Captain Kirk in South Korea?

Why would we do this to our Asian friends? That is, why would NBC send aging actors and jocks to foreign countries so they can make fun of their food and show a lack of cultural understanding? And these guys have money for travel compared to your average American, and therefore have no excuse to be ignorant of the wider world. Do we really need to bother South Korea, Japan, and Hong Kong with this foolishness?

The four-part series starting tonight on NBC, titled Better Late Than Never, includes William Shatner, Henry Winkler, Terry Bradshaw, and George Foreman. I think "never" would have been preferable, but I guess that wasn't a choice during the quiet summer months. 

TVWorthWatching noted:

On paper this seemed as though it could be a bit of fun. In execution, it’s labored and way over-cooked -- even when the guys learn they’ve just had pork and chicken vaginas on skewers after Bradshaw asks if he can have fries with whatever awaits them. Foreman brings along his barbecue sauce. 

I recommend you catch up on earlier shows rather than damage your mind with this show. The Olympics were a great way to remember the world. Don't ruin it now.

Good News for American Crime

I was a latecomer to ABC's American Crime, but I was hooked after the powerful performances I witnessed in season two.  The story of high school bullying and its impact on a town and its adults was riveting. 

I am going back to enjoy season one of American Crime, which is a whole different story with many of the same actors and actresses. For instance, I have always enjoyed Regina King since her days with the LA police in Southland, and her part as distraught mother in the second season was scary and amazing.  So I look forward to seeing what she accomplished with season one. 

I am also pleased to read that most the cast from the first two seasons (such as Timothy Hutton, Regina King, and Felicity Huffman) will return for season three and a new storyline. 

And I'm also pleased that Connor Jessup, a new addition in season two, will be returning. As noted in Variety, executive producer Michael MacDinald stated:

Connor Jessup is one of the smartest and most talented young actors working today...[Creator] John [Ridley] and I believe Connor's performance will be even more emotionally shocking than last year as his character helps shed new light on the opiate addiction epidemic that is plaguing America."

Connor Jessup did a superb job as the bullied gay teenager in season two, so I know he can tackle any challenge.  He kept everyone interested and guessing as his character slowly devolved. 

He also did well as a kidnapped then altered teenager in the sci-fi series Falling Skies that ended last year after a pretty bad last season and laughable finale. Yet I blame the writers for that fiasco and not the actors.

Someday Connor will get a role where he is a normal, happy guy. But it hasn't happened yet and we are the beneficiaries of his difficult stories. 

It's Still a Pretty Dreadful Decision

Having three seasons of Showtime's Penny Dreadful was a pure pleasure, but one cannot help to ask "What if?"

Here is Showtime's president David Nevins describing the decision to end at season three (spoiler alert):

I think in his mind, it was always three and out...From early on, we were trying to keep it open for the possibility of more, but it just became clear that trying to continue the show past the life of Vanessa Ives was going to be a lesserment. And John really was most invested in the life of, in the story of Vanessa Ives, and he didn’t really want to continue beyond that character. That character had a three season arc. So when he says it was always three years, I think he always envisioned a three season arc for her and that character.

I get it, but you still had some powerful actors and storylines worth pursuing. Besides, Penny Dreadful was in a class of its own. Unlike most the other vampire and werewolf series, this one did not revolve around American high schoolers. The adult actors and historic overseas setting set it apart, unlike Vampire Diaries and Teen Wolf, which are both facing their last season now as well.

So where do we go from here? Well, it seems the well-loved movie Lost Boys is being rewritten for The CW as a television series. It will be based in California again and initially start in 1967.  Yet that is just the beginning of this 70 year, 7 season project per Deadline Hollywood News: 

Envisioned for a seven-season, anthology-style run, the series will tell a story spanning 70 years, each season chronicling a decade. Season 1 will be set in San Francisco during the Summer of Love, 1967. Each season, the humans, the setting, the antagonist and the story all change — only the vampires, our Lost Boys, who like the Peter Pan characters never grow up, remain the same. 

However, from what I remember it was a straightforward vampire take with no room for werewolves, Frankenstein, witches, or other dark creatures. I have to say that sounds pretty boring after the monster menagerie of Penny Dreadful. 

I guess I am still hoping Showtime will come to its senses and spinoff a new dreadful series. 

The Kids Beat Frank Underwood

I did not expect Netflix's new series  Stranger Things to take off like it has, but it is already more popular than House of Cards.  The list below demostrates the troublesome kids are doing better than most of the available shows.

I expect Frank Underwood is furious, so the kids should probably avoid Washington, DC for a little while. 

The End of Larry Wilmore

I am not a great fan of late night television, but if I were to set aside time for a show it would include The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore. It would also include Stephen Colbert and Samantha Bee (okay, she is not a late night show). 

But now I read Larry's Comedy Central show is ending, with this Thursday being his last show after about a year and a half of episodes.  It appears he never really captured the Millennials.  

Comedy Central president Kent Alterman stated:

We hold Larry in the highest esteem, personally and professionally. He brought a strong voice and point of view to the late-night landscape. Unfortunately it hasn’t resonated with our audience.

Television is littered with talking heads and comedy, but Larry was less song and dance, more uncomfortable substance.  We still need this, though maybe fewer than originally envisioned.

I hope we see Larry again shortly in something new. 

More Details on the Star Trek Television Series

The news continue to leak out regarding CBS's new Star Trek: Discovery television series.  Of course, this is how it is done in the industry.  So to play along, here are some of the latest clues: 

-- The series takes place about 10 years before the period portrayed in the 1966 television series;
-- The lead character will be played by a female, but she will not be the captain; 
-- At least one character will be gay (of course, the latest Star Trek film broke through on this issue with a gay Sulu); and 
-- The series will include more alien characters.

Probably only the period of the series really answers many of the fans' questions, but the nature of the mission still puzzles some.  Well, Movie Pilot has some theories there as well, believing the U.S.S. Discovery's designation NCC-1031 may refer to Section 31 from the Deep Space Nine series.  

Section 31 was a controversial "autonomous intelligence and defense organization" created by the Federation (per Wikipedia).  The organization has been accused of torture, brainwashing, assassination, and genocide.  

And this is a family show?  It could very interesting, and I am sure we will learn more shortly.

Luke Cage Get His Own Show Next Month

If you are a fan of Netflix's Jennifer Jones, you will remember her love interest Luke Cage, also called Power Man.  He came across as a lovable yet wounded teddy-bear with super powers that made him indestructible.  Well, he returns on September 30 with his own Netflix series Luke Cage.  And I prefer him over many of the spandex-wearing super heroes these days.  He is more real and more reluctant to save the world, though he will do it if necessary.  Here is a trailer for the new series.

Should you be impatient, you can try out a Luke Cage comic book, such as Hero for Hire (which first appeared in 1972).  Here is more on a one-volume version of his story: 

Look out world, here he comes - Luke Cage, Hero for Hire - and bullets won't stop him! The early adventures of comics' first and foremost black superstar of the seventies are collected for the first time in one volume as Power Man defends his home turf against the likes of Diamondback, Mace, Black Mariah, Dr. Doom, Senor Suerte, Chemistro, Lionfang, Steeplejack, Cottonmouth, and more! Guest-starring the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man and Iron Man!

Netflix: The Get Down

Here is how the New York Time's describes Netflix's new series The Get Down, which premieres tonight;

In actuality, though, "The Get Down" is more like a secret superhero story, one with black and brown teenagers as the heroes. Using extravagant camerawork and technical tricks that present the protagonists as larger than life, “The Get Down” takes a period and place that’s often approached with dutiful naturalism and sobriety about difficult circumstances and infuses it with light touches of magical realism and bursts of palpable otherworldly joy.

Here is a trailer for you to decide if it is "magical" with its "secret superheroes."

You can see the first six episodes tonight, and more should follow. That had better be the case since Netflix is said to have spent $120 million on the series.  

More on Mr. Robot

If you too are a fan of USA Network's Mr. Robot, you should follow Slate's weekly wrap-up of the show.  Here is a sample covering the first episode of season two:

What a metaphor for modern life—and only a slight extension of its reality. Nearly all the pieces of our critical infrastructure—banking, transportation, energy, waterworks, government, the military, and of course information technology—are wired into computer networks. With the Internet of Things, so, increasingly, are our appliances and cars. If these systems break down, whether due to a technical flaw or a hacker’s keystrokes, most of us don’t—and won’t—know what to do. 

Unlike many shows today, Mr. Robot is not only entertaining but also says something about the world around us.  It may say something disturbing, yet it needs to be pondered while sitting on the couch (and hopefully acted upon).

Update: Good news! Mr. Robot has been renewed for a third season. I guess that means Elliott and E Corp also survive another season. I'm happy about Elliott. 

U.S.S. Enterprise: A New Coat of Paint

If you are a fan of the early Star Trek television series you will be happy to know that the Smithsonian Museum is taking good care of the U.S.S. Enterprise.

This Vimeo video and summary will fill you in on the details:

This is a short film showing the process of the detail paint work on the conservation of the original U.S.S. Enterprise miniature, used in all 79 episodes of the original Star Trek television series. The detail paint work was done between the 11th and the 23rd of April 2016 at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. The model is now on display in the Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C.