My Night With Sibel

March 26, 2015 at 2:23 pm

The lovely and talented SIBEL KEKILLI — best known to all you GAME OF THRONES fans out there for her amazing portrayal of Shae — came to Santa Fe last December. We celebrated her visit by screening HEAD ON, the breakthrough German film that gave Sibel her first starring role and won her the Lola (the German Oscar) for Best Actress, but that was not the main purpose of her visit. She was here to film a segment of a popular German travel show DURCH DIE NACHT (roughly, INTO THE NIGHT), for the French/ German TV network ARTE.

The premise is the show is that each week, a celebrity visits some place they have never been before, and a local shows them the town, with an emphasis on the nightlfife. Sibel asked me to show her Santa Fe, and I was delighted to say yes ( though I did warn her that Santa Fe, for all its charms, does tend to roll up the sidewalks at 9:00 pm or so). So after a rather adventurous series of flight, and a six-hour drive through the night with a stranger in a car full of fish, Sibel made it to the Land of Enchantment, and I had the honor of playing her host. We took in my own lair, a local gallery, a comic book shop, two restaurants, two bars, and of course the Jean Cocteau. (With a film crew trailing us everywhere we went).

I had a great time. Got to introduce Sibel to margaritas and chile con queso, two of my favorite things. All in all, she seemed to enjoy the experience. And driving around through the night, we talked about all manner of things, which was fun as well.

The segment has now been edited and broadcast. For those of you not in France and Germany who did not get to see it, here you go:

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I've met some wonderful people through GAME OF THRONES, and Sibel is one of them. What an amazing, talented, courageous young woman. And yes, I confess it: her Shae was better than my Shae.

Oh, and by the way, here's that song I had them sing for Sibel — Istanbul, Not Constantinople, by the Four Lads.

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Tags: game of thrones, santa fe, television, travel

Daniel and Ty Make Good

January 17, 2015 at 11:56 pm

Daniel Abraham. Ty Franck. I knew them when.

Looks like GAME OF THRONES and DOCTOR WHO might have some competition for the Short Form Hugo in years to come.

The first trailer for THE EXPANSE is now up on YouTube:

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You know, I think those lads might amount to something.

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Tags: sf, television

The Daleks Are Here

January 16, 2015 at 1:24 pm

Speaking of Doctor Who…

(Which we were. At least in passing, in my last post, and some of the comments on it).

… if you have ever wanted to see the Doctor on the big (well, medium-sized) screen, we're opening a Dr. Who movie at the Cocteau tonight. Yes, there was a Doctor Who movie. Two of them, in fact. I am surprised by how many fans don't seem to know that.

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Peter Cushing plays the Doctor. The Daleks play the Daleks.

(Maybe some hardcore Who-fan can tell me… when the Doctor's fandom talks about the third Doctor and the seventh Doctor and all that, right up to the present, how come Peter Cushing is never included or given a number. Doesn't he count? It almost seems as if his turn as the Doctor has been written out of history. Was that done with time travel?)

LATER: Okay, thanks for explaining, guys and gals. I've got it now.

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Tags: jean cocteau, television

Weekend Contests

January 9, 2015 at 4:42 pm

Some big big contests this weekend.

In the NFL, it's the divisional round. On Saturday, Baltimore is at New England and the Carolina Panthers are at Seattle. My former assistant Ty is a big Panthers fan, so my feelings for them are largely positive… but I like the Seahawks too. I had a very pleasant breakfast with their owner a few months ago. I have no favorite in that game. Of couse, I will be rooting hard for the Ravens to defeat Evil Little Bill and his Patriots. Hey, they are named in honor of Edgar Allen Poe, a fellow writer… and while it is true they beat my Giants in a SuperBowl once, it's been a long time, I forgive them.

On Sunday, it is Dallas at Green Bay and Indianapolis at Denver. I am for Denver in the AFC game; after all, Peyton is Eli's big brother. And the Colts should never have left Baltimore besides, so pfui to the Irsays. The early game, hey, no contest, I have hated and despised the Cowboys even longer than I have hated the Patriots, so I will be pulling hard for Green Bay and that baaaaad man Aaron Rogers.

(Meanwhile, I will also be rooting for the Jets to get a kickass GM and head coach, for Rex to get another head coaching job, and for my Giants to bring back Steve Spagnuolo as defensive coordinator).

The NFL isn't the only contest this weekend. This year's Golden Globe Awards will also be presented on Sunday night, and GAME OF THRONES is nominated in Best Dramatic Series. The competition this time around is HOUSE OF CARDS, THE AFFAIR, THE GOOD WIFE, and DOWNTON ABBEY. David Benioff and Dan Weiss and Carolyn Strauss and a number of our other producers and cast members will be on hand at the ceremony, though I won't be there myself this year. But I will watching from home and cheering loudly for the show, and hoping that my friends and colleagues get a Globe (the GG rules are such that I would not get one myself, even if we win).

So in conclusion:

GO RAVENS
GO PACKERS
GO DRAGONS
GO DIREWOLVES
GO HBO!

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Tags: awards, game of thrones, hbo, nfl, television

I’m Number Three….

December 17, 2014 at 8:24 pm

… again.

First the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER named me the third most powerful writer in Hollywood.

And now, yes indeed, Barbara Walters has included me as one of her Ten Most Fascinating People of 2014. The third, actually. Though I am not sure the order actually matters.

LiveJournal is not letting me embed the video, for some reason, but for those of you who missed the show, here's a link:

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/video/game-thrones-author-george-martins-rise-success-27599428

(Look closely, and you can catch a glimpse of Parris, of Gardner Dozois, of various other friends).

It is gratifying to know that I am as fascinating as I am powerful (this year, at least). Plainly it must be the Autumn of George (obligatory SEINFELD reference).

Sad to say, however, I failed to win the triple crown. I may be fascinating, and I may be powerful, but somehow, unaccountably, PEOPLE magazine failed to name me Sexiest Man Alive to complete the sweep. They went with Thor… er, Chris Hemsworth… instead. And, yeah, okay, he's all rugged and muscle-y and stuff, and his hammer is bigger than mine, but really… PEOPLE did not even include me in the list of runners up, although Kit Harrington and Richard Madden were both included (and congrats to both of them).

But that's the way it goes with triple crowns. The Belmont always breaks 'em.

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Tags: awards, humor, television

Power, Power, POWER!!!!

December 8, 2014 at 5:26 pm

The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER says I am the third most powerful writer in Hollywood:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/person/george-rr-martin

Mwaaaahahahahaha. (Rubs hands together) What shall I do with such awesome power?

Let me banish all reality shows from the air!

And these 'talent' shows too! Instead of shows where assholes and audiences mack mock of wannabees who cannot sing and dance, let's bring back the variety show and feature really GOOD singers and really GOOD dancers.

Oh, and you movie studios… no more replacing screenwriters at the drop of a hat. It should as hard to replace the writer as it is to replace the director. And that "a film by" credit at the beginning of pictures should include the name of BOTH writer and director. The film is by both of them, not just one.

And every TV series should be required to take X amount of pitches from freelancer writers and beginners. That used to be mandated by the WGA, and way back when it was how a lot of newcomers got their foot in the door, but these days most shows find ways around it, and breaking in is harder than ever.

Since I am so so powerful, I know all this will come to pass!

(And if it does, I have a bride to sell you).

((BRIDGE! I meant bridge.))

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Tags: humor, television

This Week at the Cocteau

December 5, 2014 at 3:26 pm

We have a big weekend coming up at the Jean Cocteau Cinema.

We're extending the runs of both INTERSTELLAR and HIROSHIMA MON AMOUR, so you'll be able to catch both of those off and on during the week. Check the showtimes on our website for dates and details. But we're also opening a new film tonight. It's called BEFORE I DISAPPEAR. Check outthe trailer, looks like fun:

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Tomorrow morning, Saturday, we launch another one of our television marathons. We'll be screening the entire first season of the new WGN dramatic series MANHATTAN, which is filmed right here in Santa Fe on the replica of 1943 Los Alamos that they built back of the College of Santa Fe. If you haven't seen MANHATTAN yet, you should. It's terrific, and if there's any justice it will competing with GAME OF THRONES next year when the Emmys roll around. (And no, it's not set in New York, it's about the Manhattan Project).

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Keep a sharp eye out and you'll spot GAME OF THRONES alumnus Harry Lloyd, the late great Viserys Targaryen, at the Lab, part of the induction team. Harry's in London just now, and won't be able to join us for the marathon, but other members of the cast and crew may be on hand.

Best of all: admission to all the MANHATTAN screenings will be FREE. So come and enjoy the show, and be sure to buy plenty of radioactive popcorn and glow-in-the-dark cocktails.

That's not all, either. Come Sunday, December 7, the Cocteau will sponsor another of its famous author events. HAMPTON SIDES, the author of the bestselling novel of Arctic exploration, IN THE KINGDOM OF ICE, will be here to talk with me about his book, his career, the Arctic, James Gordon Bennett, and anything else that come to mind.

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Admission is free with the purchase of a hardcover book, $5 with the purchase of a paperback, and $10 without book purchase.

Speaking of books… the Cocteau still has a huge stock of autographed books if you're looking for a Christmas present for that reader in the family. Junot Diaz, Anne Perry, Melinda Snodgrass, Pat Conroy, Neil Gaiman, Dennis Lehane, and many more are all available. And of course we have lots and lots of my own titles, including the brand new worldbook, THE WORLD OF ICE AND FIRE. If you're in the neighborhood, stop on by, catch a show, have a popcorn or a beer, and peruse the shelves.

See you at the movies.

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Tags: jean cocteau, movie theatre, signed books, signings, television

GOT, HBO Score WGA Nominations

December 4, 2014 at 2:53 pm

The Writers Guild of America has just announced the nominees for its annual awards, and HBO and GAME OF THRONES are both well represented on the shortlists.

The writing staff of GAME OF THRONES season four (David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, Bryan Cogman, and me) scored another nomination for Best Dramatic Series. We'll be up against THE GOOD WIFE, HOUSE OF CARDS, TRUE DETECTIVE, and MAD MEN.

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But that's not all. In the Episodic Drama category, my own season four episode, "The Lion and the Rose," was nominated. It will be competing against episodes from THE GOOD WIFE, RECTIFY, MAD MEN, and two strong BOARDWALK EMPIREs. Tough company indeed.

But I am thrilled by the nomination. The last time one of my scripts was nominated was 1987, when one of my TWILIGHT ZONE episodes was a finalist. (I lost to Harlan Ellison, with another TZ script). So it's very cool to make the shortlist.

For a full list of nominees, go to:

http://www.eonline.com/news/603528/game-of-thrones-orange-is-the-new-black-and-true-detective-lead-2015-wga-nominations

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Tags: awards, game of thrones, hbo, television

Emmy Night

August 25, 2014 at 8:21 pm

It's Emmy night!

(On a Monday in August… thanks, NBC, he muttered sourly).

Parris and I will be off to the Nokia Theatre in a few hours, battling the inevitable traffic jams, which will be much worse than usual because, well, it's a Monday in August.

GAME OF THRONES scored 19 Emmy nominations, more than any other program, and took home four awards last weekend in the technical categories. Tonight we are contending in five more categories: Neil Marshall for directing, David and Dan for scripting, Lena Headey for Best Supporting Actress, Peter Dinklage for Best Supporting Actor, and of course the show itself for Best Drama.

Whether we will win any remains to be seen. Pretty much everyone is saying that BREAKING BAD has this year locked up. Maybe they are right. But last week pretty much everyone was saying DOCTOR WHO had the Hugo locked up as well. Can GAME OF THRONES score another upset, and break through the Academy's long-standing aversion to fantasy and science fiction? We will know in a few hours.

That's why they play the games.

Anyway (all together now), "it is an honor just to be nominated," and the after parties are always fun.

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Tags: awards, emmy awards, game of thrones, hbo, television

Battle Is Coming, Blood Will Flow

June 7, 2014 at 11:06 am

Tomorrow night, on HBO.

Neil Marshall returns, with a battle even bigger than "Blackwater." Should rival or surpass any battle ever seen before on television.

Keep your swords sharp.

And be afraid. Be very afraid.

(No, I haven't seen the episode yet).

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Tags: game of thrones, hbo, television

Not a Blog

My Night With Sibel

Daniel and Ty Make Good

The Daleks Are Here

Weekend Contests

I’m Number Three….

Power, Power, POWER!!!!

This Week at the Cocteau

GOT, HBO Score WGA Nominations

Emmy Night

Battle Is Coming, Blood Will Flow

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