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New Game of Thrones Merch and Interactive Website

Posted 3/1/11 11:50 am EST by in George R. R. Martin, TV


If you've been over to HBO's Game of Thrones web store lately, you may have noticed quite a few changes. The shop has gone from selling just a few basic t-shirts sporting the show's logo to a full-fledged clothing outlet. Fans can now pick up a wide variety of shirts that represent just about every major house in the Game of Thrones mythos. Below are examples of the House Stark and House Lannister tees:

Also, as part of a large marketing blitz orchestrated by project-based marketing agency Campfire, HBO last week sent out large wooden boxes filled with canvas scrolls and scented oils. The purpose of this strange swag was not quite clear until yesterday's launch of The Maester's Path interactive website, where clues from the oils set are needed to complete a puzzle.

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A Game of Thrones Gets Its First (Unofficial) App

Posted 2/24/11 4:00 pm EST by in Books, George R. R. Martin, Tech, TV


While the TV series Game of Thrones may be debuting this April on HBO, the original George R. R. Martin novel was originally published way back in 1996. When was the last time you read it? Fans looking forward to the series are left with two choices: watch the show with somewhat unfamiliar eyes, or break out that book to read it one more time (it's worth it).  Many fans have started reading, but with a 694 page count (835 paperback), not everybody has the time to get through this novel. For the latter crowd, there is still hope.

Released in both the iOS and Android app stores, the Game of Thrones Companion serves as an easy, $0.99 refresher to the lands of Westeros and beyond. The app is a fan-compiled  encyclopedia of creative commons sourced background information. Included is every character and house covered in all of the Song of Ice and Fire series books published to date. It's an immense collection of information, so be warned, there are spoilers abound from all four books. It's the perfect way to bone up on your trivia before Game of Thrones becomes what everybody is talking about.

Related Posts:

Top 10 Anticipated Game of Thrones TV Moments (Spoilers!)
HBO Gives Game of Thrones Fans an Early Invitation to Westeros

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Fantasy Flight Games Announces Game of Thrones LCG Deck Building Contest

Posted 2/23/11 3:21 pm EST by in George R. R. Martin, Hobby Gaming


 

To celebrate the release of the last set in the Brotherhood without Banners cycle for the Game of Thrones Living Card Game, Fantasy Flight Games has sent out a call to players of the game. Do you have what it takes to build the best tournament-legal deck of cards?

The contest will run from now until April 1st, at which point eight decks with the most creative yet viable strategies will be chosen by a panel of Fantasy Flight Games staffers. The important detail to note is that the originality of these decks will be count more in this first cut then their in-game strength. Outside of major sets, cards can only be chosen from one of the expansion cycles, thereby forcing entrants to stick with cards that naturally work together. This should lead to a few creative decks themed after certain aspects of the novels. To that end, one deck themed after each of the six houses will definitely be chosen along with two neutral decks.

After paring the submissions down to eight decks, the Fantasy Flight staffers will each take control of one deck in a proxy tournament. As part of a larger event at Fantasy Flight’s event center in Minnesota on April 17th, the decks will face each other in three rounds of Swiss-style tournament play, with the top 4 entering a single-elimination bracket. The tournament is promised to be part of an even larger day of events, the details of which will be revealed soon on the event center’s website.

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George R. R. Martin Ties the Knot

Posted 2/22/11 6:00 pm EST by in Books, George R. R. Martin, TV


After a thirty year partnership, Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martin has decided to make things official by marrying his long-time companion, Parris. They held a ceremony on the evening of February 15th in their Sante Fe home, where a small gathering of friends and family joined them in celebration.

Martin later broke the news on his online journal and showed his sense of humor with jokes about Westerosi weddings and the uniqueness of his situation. Martin requested that for wedding photos and specifics of the event, that fans visit his original post. Those who would like to send their congratulations are encouraged to donate to one of the couple’s personal favorite charities:

http://www.wildspiritwolfsanctuary.org/

http://www.shelterbox.org/

http://www.worldwildlife.org/home-full.html

http://www.zoo.org.au/HealesvilleSanctuary/

Related Posts:

Top 10 Anticipated Game of Thrones TV Moments (Spoilers!)
HBO Gives Game of Thrones Fans an Early Invitation to Westeros

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HBO Gives Game of Thrones Fans an Early Invitation to Westeros

Posted 2/21/11 5:12 pm EST by in Books, George R. R. Martin, Trailers, TV


In a preview that shows over three minutes of never-before-seen footage, HBO takes viewers on a tour through the major geographical areas of the Game of Thrones world. Author George R. R. Martin, several cast members and Executive Producers/Writers DB Weiss and David Benioff are all on hand to provide commentary on each setting. Throughout the show, the rulers of each area will vie for control over the others, in a story that Weiss says is “about people trying to gain power. It’s about people who already have power trying to keep power, and those caught in the middle.”

George R. R. Martin leads off the tour by introducing viewers to Winterfell, the homeland of Sean Bean’s lead character Ned Stark. Bean describes the cold and traditional Winterfell as “a much more bleak place. It’s a much more simple kind of environment. I think it’s just that coldness that stone room, the darkness. It’s not flamboyant in any way.”

The Stark family awaits guests at Winterfell’s castle

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Top 10 Anticipated Game of Thrones TV Moments (Spoilers!)

Posted 2/16/11 5:08 pm EST by in George R. R. Martin, TV


With the April 17th debut of Game of Thrones quickly approaching and a comic book adaptation expected in late Spring, it’s time to take a deep dive into the original George R. R. Martin novel that inspired this all. Here’s a look at the top 10 moments from this classic book that we here at MTV Geek cannot wait to see play out on television.

While it is still unknown just how far into the book this first season of Game of Thrones will take us, these moments span the book’s entire length. That being said, you should be aware that this list is filled with spoilers. Unless you are already familiar with the plot, go grab the book and come back later. You can take our word that this is one well worth the time it takes to read.

#10: Sansa’s Direwolf is Executed
In the early events of Game of Thrones, the direwolves are an extremely important plot device. They are used to establish the culture of House Stark, and each also serves as a proxy for situations affecting their child masters. Sansa Stark in particular loses her direwolf to her father’s sword when it is to blame for an incident between Arya Stark and Joffrey Baratheon. Joffrey won’t stick up for Sansa’s direwolf even though he could save his future bride’s cherished companion, revealing his inner cruelty and serving as a chilling foreshadowing moment for the couple.

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Bantam Books and Dynamite To Release Comic Book Adaptation Of George R.R. Martin's 'A Song Of Ice And Fire'

Posted 2/2/11 1:17 pm EST by in Announcements, Books, Comic Books, Dynamite, George R. R. Martin, News, TV


Great news for George R.R. Martin fans: not only is his "Game Of Thrones" coming out soon from HBO, but now a monthly adaptation of his whole "A Song Of Ice And Fire" series will soon be available from Bantam Books and Dynamite Entertainment!

The comic book will be written by Daniel Abraham, the author of The Long Price Quartet, and illustrated by Tommy Patterson, with the first issue expected to hit stands in late spring 2011. Bantam will be publishing the collected editions of the comics.

Get your first look at these character sketches of Tyrion Lannister and Jon Snow below, then read on for more details about this much-anticipated comics event! And stay tuned to MTV Geek for all the latest news on the "A Song Of Ice And Fire" comic and the TV miniseries "Game of Thrones."

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Game Of Thrones Update: Arya Stark's Swordplay

Posted 2/2/11 12:13 pm EST by in George R. R. Martin, News, TV


The official Game of Thrones production diary has added another entry into their “The Artisans” series of videos. In this latest clip, Maisie Williams describes her efforts to learn the mechanics of swordplay. For the show, Maisie will be portraying Arya Stark, the youngest daughter of show’s lead character, Ned Stark. Here we see her with her practicing with her custom lightweight sword, Needle.

The new footage is a great peek into the series, as none of the young Stark children have been featured in the already-released teasers or trailers. As a first peek into the youth of this show, one can’t help but feel confident that Masie will do an excellent job in her portrayal of Arya Stark.

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New Game Of Thrones Preview Footage: the Iron Throne

Posted 1/18/11 1:22 pm EST by in George R. R. Martin, TV


The latest Game of Thrones preview footage released from HBO’s production diary focuses on the Iron Throne. For those not familiar with the series of novels by George R. R. Martin, know that it is focused on the fantasy world of Westeros where much controversy is brewing as to who should be the rightful king. Whoever holds that title will sit atop the Iron Throne, crafted completely from swords surrendered by enemies of Westeros.

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Game of Thrones: A New Behind-The-Scenes Look From HBO!

Posted 1/14/11 3:51 pm EST by in George R. R. Martin, TV


HBO has continued to use their “Making Game of Thrones” production diary to give fans great views inside the creative process. This time around, it’s a 3-minute interview with fight coordinate Buster Reeves. Included is a first look at the fight scene between The Mountain versus The Hound, brothers Gregor and Sandor Clegane.

 

Kudos to HBO for making such great clips available online. When you’re doing something well, you should by all means show it off. After all, there’s no audience more receptive to such content than a pre-existing audience of die-hard fans from the adapted novels.

For more coverage of the Game of Thrones TCA press tour events from last week, check out the following recommendations from Making Game of Thrones:

• Television critic Maureen Ryan’s coverage of the roundtable discussion

• Access Hollywood’s preview of the series

• And Collider’s interview with lead actor Sean Bean

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'Game Of Thrones' Newest Set Photos

Posted 1/10/11 5:41 pm EST by in George R. R. Martin, Previews, TV


Earlier today we brought you news about the "Game of Thrones" panel at the Television Critics Association press tour, at which the premiere date of the long-anticipated HBO miniseries was announced: April 17th. Now we present to you the newest official photos from the production!

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Game Of Thrones Premiere Date Announced

Posted 1/10/11 10:11 am EST by in George R. R. Martin, TV


The news is out: Game of Thrones will be premiering on Sunday, April 17th. On Friday, HBO updated their production diary to announce the news, posting this sole teaser image showing a tent with the stag-emblazoned flag of House Baratheon flying in the breeze. The information was originally provided as part of a larger event, a panel at the Television Critics Association press tour.

HBO had hoped to show critics the entire pilot, but the footage was not ready in time. Instead, a special 15-minute cut of footage from the first three episodes was shown in its place. The footage was shown to only those at the event, and has not been posted online. However, some local bloggers attended the screening and posted their scene-by-scene impressions.

Martin had revealed on his blog that he intended to have at least one, but potentially two, major announcements during the TCA press tour. The first was the premiere date, and we speculated that the second would be news on the completion of his 5th book in the series, A Dance with Dragons. Read More...

Where Is George R. R. Martin's 'A Dance With Dragons?'

Posted 12/29/10 1:28 pm EST by in Books, George R. R. Martin, TV


With George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones TV series only months away from its premiere on HBO, the buzz is ramping up among geek circles. A common occurrence, though, is that many fans of the series have been hesitant to introduce friends to the books for fear that the seven-part series will never be completed. Their fear is not without warrant, since Martin was able to produce the first three entries over the span of 8 years, but later took 5 years to complete the fourth book, and is now over 5 years into writing the oft-delayed fifth book.

However, struggling in the middle of a fiction series is not some unseen phenomenon. In fact, it happens quite regularly (See: Jean M. Auel, Patrick Rothfuss, and Chritopher Priest, among others). These struggles are not a strong reason to dismiss the great works Martin has already produced, but that leads to the inevitable question: where exactly is A Dance with Dragons? In search of that answer, let’s take a (mostly spoiler-free) look at some history:

To truly understand why George R R Martin has struggle so much to write this fifth book, it is necessary to go back to the fourth book, A Feast for Crows. In the original structure of seven books, Feast was supposed to take place after a 5 year jump in the timeline. Several characters had assumed new positions of power and were handed large responsibilities that they would need time to mature into, so this time gap made perfect sense. Martin has also been quoted saying he wishes the Stark children were older at the start of A Game of Thrones, as it would allow him freedom to develop the characters into their 20s (something the 5-year gap device would also enable). Read More...

Game of Thrones New Footage: First Impressions

Posted 12/6/10 10:15 am EST by in George R. R. Martin, TV


Last night, HBO ran a 10-minute behind-the-scenes feature on Game of Thrones leading up to the Boardwalk Empire season finale. While it was filled with before-unseen footage, it also gave viewers a first time looks at some of the creative forces behind this production. Check out the full preview and our impressions below:

• The show appears to be incredibly faithful to its source material. Several major plotlines are presented within A Game of Thrones, none of which begin to converge until much later in other books of the Song of Ice and Fire series. Where it would be extremely easy to cut one of these seemingly extraneous plots, such as Jon Snow’s adventures at The Wall or the Targaryens’ journey across the sea, it looks as though these events will be given plenty of screen time.

• Northern Ireland is proving to be the perfect filming location, as it looks spot on with the impressions of Westeros gathered from reading the books. The sets and locations are stunning, but not in the “Lord of the Rings” fashion of showing the viewer something larger than life. The “wow factor” here will come from a supreme attention to detail rather than flashy special effects. The works due to the fact that while A Game of Thrones does take place in a fantasy realm, its traditional fantasy elements are downplayed. For instance, strange creatures and magical powers do exist, but they are so barely present that many characters doubt their very existence.

• Peter Dinklage is proving himself to be the perfect casting of Tyrion Lannister. Aside from the obvious benefit of avoiding over-use of special effects by having an actor of impaired height to play the treacherous imp, Dinklage has the mental qualifications to play the role. Simply put, he just sounds downright intelligent when he speaks. For a character that is able to exert an incredible influence on others through the careful use of words, it is very important to have a smart man who can talk his way out of a box. Fans can eagerly look forward to seeing Dinklage’s portrayal in some of Tyrion’s more slippery moments.
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Who's Playing Who In 'Game of Thrones'

Posted 12/3/10 5:00 pm EST by in George R. R. Martin


With filming entering its final weeks, HBO has launched into full publicity mode for its upcoming Game of Thrones TV series. This past Sunday, they aired the third and longest trailer prior to the newest Boardwalk Empire this past Sunday. What’s more, they’ll also be airing a 15-minute behind-the-scenes preview before this week’s Boardwalk Empire finale. Are you excited yet?

As the series gets ready to debut (the best rumors state April 2011, although nothing has been confirmed), we thought it’d be good to take a deeper look at the cast. Make note that this will be a massive ensemble cast, primarily due to George R. R. Martin’s writing style, which involves shifting the reader’s point of view to a different character for each chapter. As the lead players spread themselves far across the lands of Westeros, the number of supporting characters important to each causes the total cast list to explode. Admirably, it does not seem as though HBO is taking the easy way out by cutting roles.

Also, many of the lead roles are for child and teenage actors, meaning this large cast is rife with unknowns. That being said, there are still plenty of actors and actresses that you will recognize as you view the trailers, although you might not be sure where you remember them from. Consider this your guide to the Game of Thrones previews, as we’re going to look at each of the established actors on this show and present their geek cred resumes for your perusal. These may not be their top-billed roles, but they are the ones that the geek in the room will remember them for. Read More...

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