No time today to have Froggy pluck his magic twanger and come forth to torment you with more casting hints. He’s game, but I have to head out in a half hour or so, to enjoy cocktails on a mesa.

You nailed Lord Karstark, though, so here as a reward are two more recent castings for HBO’s second season of GAME OF THRONES.

As Ygritte, we have the lovely ROSE LESLIE, kissed by fire.

Rose is best known for her role in the first season of DOWNTON ABBEY, the British miniseries that scored big at this year’s Emmies. She’ll make a great addition to our GOT cast. Check out this recent interview with her.

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And seeing as how we’ve added a wildling to the cast, it’s only fair that we add a man of Night’s Watch too.

Playing Qhorin Halfhand will be SIMON ARMSTRONG.

Simon is a veteran of stage and screen, and another great addition to our cast. Whether or not he is willing to have half his hand chopped off to better portray QHorin remains to be seen…

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Vengeance is his. Frankenstein and Nessie are friends of his, but don’t say he’s never been human… but was he Irish or Eskimo? Born in Scotland, that we know. He’s been a fisherman, a minister, an inspector, and a malingerer. Down the slippery slope he slides, toward the kingdom of bones, but will he lose his head?

{{THE NEXT DAY}}

Thanks for playing, everyone.

Some of you got it. Some of you didn’t.

It’s actor JOHN STAHL.

He will be portraying one of Robb Stark’s bannermen, Lord Rickard Karstark.

The major roles for season two of GAME OF THRONES have all been filled, but casting continues in London, Belfast, and Dublin for various smaller parts.

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GAME OF THRONES is suddenly all over television.

There was a reference on CASTLE.

And another on GREY’S ANATOMY.

And now…

keep your eyes on BIG BANG THEORY, boys and girls.

Yes, that’s Longclaw. From the good folks at Valyrian Steel: http://www.valyriansteel.com/

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Season two is presently filming in Belfast and Dubrovnik.

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For those of you who may have been hiding under a rock since Sunday… or maybe watching the Falcons/ Eagles game when you should have been watching the Emmycast… the big news here is that Peter Dinklage won the Emmy for Best Supporting Actor for this portrayal of Tyrion Lannister in HBO’s GAME OF THRONES.

Goes without saying (but I’ll say it anyway) that all of us from GOT were thrilled by Peter’s win. Much deserved. And only the first of many, I suspect.

GAME lost out in the other three categories where we had nominations, alas… including BEst Drmaatic Series, where MAD MEN took home the Emmy for the fourth straight year. But as the beloved Brooklyn Dodgers of my youth used to say, “Wait’ll Next Year.”

The Emmy festivities have changed immensely since the last time I ws up for one (for BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, back in 1989 or so). The weekend was a blur of pre-parties, post-parties, receptions, gifting lounges, red carpets, and limos. Parris and I got to lift a glass or three with Peter, David & Dan and their lovely wives, Mark Addy, Lena Headey, Michelle Fairley, Kit Harrington, Jason Momoa, and Nicholaj Coster-Waldau, and some of the cast from BOARDWALK EMPIRE as well. I met lots of very cool people, and was astonished and delighted by how many fans the series — both the TV series AND the books — has in Hollywood, even on other networks and series. (Keep a sharp eye out in future weeks for GOT nods on a couple of your favorite comedies).

But now to work. I’m still in LA, and will be here for the rest of the week, but from this point on it’s mostly meetings. But more good stuff may come out of those as well… one hopes…

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Flying off to Hollywood in a few hours for the Emmy Awards.

Last week GAME OF THRONES won an Emmy for Best Main Title.

And Sunday, at the televised portion of the awards, we’re up for four more. David Benioff and Dan Weiss for writing (‘Baelor’), Tim Van Patten for directing (‘Winter Is Coming’), Peter Dinklage for Best Supporting Actor, and… the big one… Best Dramatic Series. Where we will be contending against three-time winner MAD MEN, HBO’s other big new series BOARDWALK EMPIRE, the old line on-line network contender THE GOOD WIFE, Showtime’s DEXTER, and the fine high school football drama FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS. Tough competition.

I’d ask you all to wish us luck, but in show biz the preferred wish is “break a leg.” So let’s hope we shatter four legs to splinters come Sunday night.

See you on the red carpet.

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HOLLYWOOD REPORTER has broken the story, so I’m now free to comment on a juicy little nugget of GAME OF THRONES news that I’ve been sitting on for a week or so:

Neil Marshall has been signed to direct an episode for our second season.

For those of you who have been living under a rock for the past ten years or so, Marshall is the director of CENTURION, of DOG SOLDIERS, and — especially — of THE DESCENT, which I think may well be the best horror film of the past twenty years or so. (Do NOT confuse it with the sequel, a much weaker film). GAME OF THRONES will be his first foray into television.

And my comment?

That sound you hear is a high-pitched squeal of delight.

I love Marshall’s work, in case you couldn’t tell.

And what makes this especially exciting is that the episode he’ll be directing is… mine. Yes. He’s going to directing episode nine, “Blackwater.” The Battle of the Blackwater.

I still don’t how the hell we can possibly afford to do half of what I put into that script, but if anyone can pull off my budget-busting battle, it’s Marshall.

For more about our second season directors, check out the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER story at:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/game-thrones-neil-marshall-season-234126

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