Month: October 2022

House of the Dragon’s season one finale delivered on its promise of Civil War and reminded everyone that Team Black has the advantage — at least when it comes to how many dragons are at their disposal.

In episode 10’s “The Black Queen,” once Rhaenyra Targaryen is crowned, her husband Daemon Targaryen gives her war council the rundown on the biggest weapon in their arsenal — their firepower. Though Rhaenyra is reluctant to turn Westeros into a kingdom of bone and ash, she has the means, as a bloodthirsty Daemon so generously reminds her. While Team Green has just four dragons (three adults and one baby) to Team Black’s seven adult dragons. But Daemon is also set on making use of the unclaimed and wild dragons nesting in the volcano near Dragonstone. If Rhaenyra’s side could claim those beasts, Team Black would have 13 dragons, a fairly intimidating number that could win her the war without having to waste time amassing allies and playing at politics.

So, naturally, Daemon takes it upon himself to venture deep into the caverns of the mountain to find some of these sleeping nuclear weapons. Carrying a torch and singing a Valyrian lullaby, the Rogue Prince approaches one beast who initially threatens him with a guttural growl and a spray of fire but Daemon is undeterred and, by the end of their introduction, it seems the dragon has accepted the prince as a friend of some sort.

But exactly which dragon is Daemon courting in episode 10?

It could be a wild one like the Cannibal or Sheepstealer, but our money is on it being Vermithor, the former mount of King Jaehaerys I Targaryen. Described as a bronze male dragon with great tan wings, Vermithor is second only to Vhagar in size and is nearly 100 years old by the time the Dance of Dragons begins. The dragon clearly responds to Daemon’s song and presence, which likely means he’s not wild, and he’s too big (and colored too distinctly) to be Silverwing, the other dragon Daemon says is sleeping at Dragonstone.

Despite having coaxed Vermithor from his dragon nap, Team Black still needs to find the beast a rider and that hunt might come into play in season two as Daemon makes it his mission to ensure his wife has as many dragons as possible in her fight to reclaim the throne.

(Via Polygon)

https://www.polygon.com/23419263/house-dragon-daemon-singing-vermithor

(House of the Dragon spoilers will be found below.)

The first House of the Dragon season arrived and flew by with ten intense episodes that, in a way, made up for the misfired Game of Thrones final season. The soap operatics flew like Targaryen/Velaryon wigs being hurled across sets. And although it was sad to say goodbye to miserable King Viserys, his death paved the way for fallout from a (literal) grave misunderstanding that put Aegon II on the Iron Throne. This, of course, has led to civil war after Rhaenyra [who had the worst day(s) in Westeros] determined to avoid more bloodshed.

That dream fell by the wayside after Aemond f*cked up and couldn’t control his dragon, who made an appetizer out of poor Arrax and Luke. This has spurred a lot of debate and followed Aemond taunting Luke, so it’s not like Vhagar didn’t see her rider as an active participant in villainy, but Vhagar refused to be reeled in at a pivotal moment, and although Luke had issues controlling Arrax, too, at least we can acknowledge that both Luke and Arrax were inexperienced in battle and probably didn’t know better. Here, we see that Aemond had no business claiming Vhagar when he can’t control her.

Yet is Vhagar equally to blame? It’s hard to say whether this was more the case of a rebellious dragon or a sh*tty rider. Maybe both? Regardless, people sure are thinking of a comparative scene where (in Game of Thrones) Daenerys officially went mad and burned King’s Landing to embers. One Twitter user had a ball recaptioning the scene to make it look like Dany had tried to stop a dragon out of control.

This tweet is a joke, obviously, and it’s having fun with how Aemond’s intent is different than in GRRM’s source material, and in the show, this was framed as an accident. This adds some nuance that’s actually quite delicious, so that Aemond doesn’t look like a straight-up cartoon villain laying his victim on the train tracks.

Aemond screwed up, plain and simple, and the comparison between himself and Dany isn’t to be taken too seriously, even if it’s fun to indulge. Yes, Drogon grew a little rebellious as a “teen” dragon (and Dany had to chain her other two dragons), but Vhagar was wizened and had flown with multiple riders, and Aemond couldn’t handle her. Regardless, people are enjoying the act of toying with reframing Dany, too.

Oh, and we did see an actual Dany callback. Watch out Greens. Rhaenyra’s coming for you next season.

HBO’s House of the Dragon is currently streaming Season 1 on HBO Max.

We’re approaching the end of the year, which means we’re about to start seeing a lot more of Mariah Carey. She routinely dominates the season, especially recently, as “All I Want For Christmas Is You” went No. 1 during each of the last three holiday seasons and is the first song to ever be No. 1 in four separate years (2019 to 2022). This year, Carey’s not even waiting for Halloween to come and go before announcing her end-of-year plans.

This morning, she announced a pair of Christmas shows: One in Toronto on December 11 and another at New York’s Madison Square Garden on December 13. Tickets for both shows are set to go on sale on October 28.

Meanwhile, back in January announced a new children’s book, The Christmas Princess. She wrote at the time, “The Christmas Princess is a fairytale for holiday lovers of all ages! Little Mariah represents my inner child believing in her own vision, she represents all children, especially those who feel like outsiders or ‘others,’ striving to believe in themselves. It was empowering to transform my childhood turmoil into a modern classic fairytale full of wonder and boundless hope.”

Earlier this month, she revealed the book is out on November 1 and available for pre-order now.

[This post contains spoilers for the House of the Dragon season finale]

The Dance of the Dragons has begun. In the House of the Dragon season finale, Rhaenyra was considering a peaceful compromise with Alicent — right up until the moment where one-eyed Aemond’s dragon Vhagar kills her son, Lucerys. One of the reasons why Rhaenyra is so determined to lead the Seven Kingdoms, besides King Viserys (RIP) declaring her his heir, is the Song of Ice and Fire prophecy. It dictates that a Targaryen must sit on the throne to prevent the approaching dancer from the north, but couldn’t the prophecy also apply to Alicent’s Targaryen son, Aegon — sorry, King Aegon?

In a post-finale interview with Deadline, House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal cleared up some potential confusion about the prophecy, and if Aegon could be considered the Prince That Was Promised. “It’s not as easy and clear cut as that,” he said. “I think what Rhaenyra is struggling with is this idea that her father has entrusted this charge with her, and that she is the named heir, and the other side has seized the throne. She’s been told that Viserys changed his mind on his death bed but I don’t think Rhaenyra believes any of that for a minute, because he backed her. We saw him in episode eight climb the throne in that beautiful scene and essentially back her claim.”

Rhaenyra also believes that she’s “uniquely qualified to be somebody who keeps the realm at peace and to unite everybody,” Condal continued. “She does not think that Aegon is the guy to carry on the charge, nor does she believed that Viserys ever entrusted the secret with him.” It’s what she’s wrestling with throughout the finale, “when all the men around the table just want to charge off for war.”

After the events of the finale, war is inevitable heading into season two.

(Via Deadline)

(House of the Dragon spoilers will be found below.)

House of the Dragon’s season one finale featured one of the show’s biggest aerial battle scenes so far — and it’s left plenty of fans divided on just how much control Targaryens have over their dragons.

Episode 10’s “The Black Queen” examined the fallout following King Viserys’ death from Team Black’s point of view. After Rhaenyra Targaryen was crowned Queen on Dragonstone, her first order of business was to send her sons, Jacaerys and Lucerys, to secure allies in the North. Lucerys flew to Storm’s End to speak with House Baratheon but his Uncle Aemond Targaryen beat him to it and, before the kid could bow out gracefully, a wild, watery chase happened on dragon’s back. As Aemond taunted his nephew and Lucerys tried to escape their dragons, Vhagar and Arrax, seemed to disobey their riders, with the bigger of the two beasts chomping down on poor Luke and his baby dragon despite Aemond ordering her not to.

And, naturally, that accidental death scene — which is a far cry from what happens in the book — has left the internet divided on exactly why Luke died and if Aemond is really to blame.

We’ll start with the “mommy’s little war criminal” apologists who are firmly Team Green on this one.

But wait, the skeptics also make a good point, because would we even be here if Aemond Targaryen had just gone to therapy?

Still, the HOTD fans who seem to be coping the best are the ones just enjoying the absolute mess of this finale.

The rollout for Taylor Swift’s new album Midnights had a couple of sports tie-ins: She teased the album’s upcoming videos during a Prime Video Thursday Night Football broadcast and last month, it was reported she turned down a chance to perform at the 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show. Now, Midnights has once again returned to the field/court/misc. sports venue thanks to a Canadian broadcaster.

On September 21 (the day Midnights was released), Faizal Khamisa of Toronto-based TV channel SportsNet gave himself a mission: reference all of the album’s song titles — “Lavender Haze,” “Maroon,” “Anti-Hero,” “Snow On The Beach,” “You’re On Your Own, Kid,” “Midnight Rain,” “Question…?,” “Vigilante Sh*t,” “Bejeweled,” “Labyrinth,” “Karma,” “Sweet Nothing,” and “Mastermind” — in his morning broadcast. He managed to pull it off and later shared a highlight compilation on Twitter.

Some titles were easy enough to get in there, like when he used “Lavender Haze” and “Maroon” to describe the color of hockey teams, but others weren’t gimmes like that. He called Houston Astros baseball player Alex Bregman an “Anti-Hero,” referred to a hockey fight as “vigilante stuff” (probably as close as he could get to “Vigilante Sh*t” on air), and described a baseball player wearing a chain as “Bejeweled.” He even managed to make “Snow On The Beach” work.

Check out the clips above.

Midnights is out now via Republic. Get it here.

Towards the end of last week, Rolling Stone reported that Kanye West was working on his own series of mini-cities dubbed the “Yecosystem.” Now, Ye himself has confirmed this, although he also offered a clarification.

On Friday (October 21), in a post shared on controversial social media platform Parler (which it looks like West will soon own), he wrote, “The communities I’m building are not called the Yecosystem They don’t have a name yet.”

The Rolling Stone report noted that “Yecosystem” was one of a few trademarks that were filed by West, with others including “Yzyverse,” “Yxyverse,” and “Yeezyverse.”

As for what’s going on here, this project has been in the works for years and is described as “a self-sustained enterprise that would have its own branded homes, retail stores that sell Yecosystem-branded food items and beverages.” The first campus, of multiple that West hopes will be established across the country, is set to launch as soon as November.

The publication’s source said, “He’s trying to do sh*t that people couldn’t even conceive of and he’s trying to make it happen. He comes from a good place. It’s definitely his goal that everything that people touch that’s his is a good thing and has a good impact on the world.”

Multiple times per week, our TV and film experts will list the most important ten streaming selections for you to pop into your queues. We’re not strictly operating upon reviews or accrued streaming clicks (although yes, we’ve scoured the streaming site charts) but, instead, upon those selections that are really worth noticing amid the churning sea of content. There’s a lot out there, after all, and your time is valuable.

TIE: 10. Luckiest Girl Alive (Netflix movie)

Mila Kunis stars in this adaptation of Jessica Knoll’s novel of the same name, and when Mila Kunis stars in a movie, people click. Unfortunately, the movie would have been better received with a trigger warning. Yet if you go in with eyes open (and know that there’s plenty of trauma for the protagonist due to a mass shooting and sexual assault), then you might appreciate how the story portrays the strength of Mila’s character in working to overcome what she’s been through, rather than allow her wealthy fiancé to encourage burying it deep within her consciousness. Also, Scoot McNairy plays her high-school teacher who’s helping everyone sort through the mess.

TIE: 10. Shantaram (Apple TV+ series)

Charlie Hunnam picks up in his first starring TV role since Jax Teller drove into a Mack truck in the final moments of Sons of Anarchy. As Hunnam relayed to us, the project was as chaotic as it looks to shoot, but he’s thrilled to have finally adapted Gregory David Roberts’ sprawling book for the screen. Hunnam’s character, Lin, finds a kindred spirit in Shubham Sarif’s fast-talking Prabhu character, and they’re truly dealing with some nefarious forces. Will Lin ever get out of Bombay, and does he really want to do so? He’s an escaped convict trying to keep his head low after escaping from an Australian prison, so it’s not like he’s got too many choices to stay out of trouble.

9. Winchesters (CW series streaming in various places)

If you’re a Jensen Ackles fan and loved seeing him as Soldier Boy on The Boys but are disappointed in seeing the character put on ice, never fear. He surfaces in this new CW series that’s already receiving good viewership, and it’s no wonder, given that this is a Supernatural prequel. Jensen’s Dean Winchester is the narrator of this series that details how Dean’s parents, John (who fought in Vietnam) and Mary (a demon hunter, naturally), saved the world. There are plenty of shadowy forces and secrets at work, and both John and Marry are dealing with warring family legacies, which they must reconcile before moving on with a family of their own.

8. Rosaline (Hulu movie)

Kaitlyn Dever (Loretta!) stars in this reimagining of this Romeo and Juliet side story, in which we found out what happened to the pre-Juliet love interest that Romeo seems to totally forget existed. Rude. However, Rosaline is on her game, so she plots to keep them apart, and we won’t give away whether or not she succeeds or they end up killing themselves anyway. Dever never turns in a subpar performance, and it’s glorious to see her in a project where she’s having a wicked good time.

7. Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power (Amazon Prime series)

The first season recently concluded for this Jeff Bezos fantasy-epic lovechild, and one can expect that he’ll keep arranging to fund this series until it runs out of story. Although this didn’t receive as much week-to-week fuss as House of the Dragon, rest assured that most viewers seem to love it because they kept watching. Finally, Tolkien’s fable Second Age rose with a young Galadriel refusing to pay attention to the trolls who complained that this is too “woke” of a take on Middle-earth

6. Andor (Disney+ series)

Diego Luna stars in this unusually grounded piece of the Star Wars universe far, far away. The show might not be bringing the weekly gushing via some Baby Yoda cuteness, but it’s a slow burn that fans seem to appreciate. As well, Cassian Andor is now receiving a character study that we rarely get to see from these Star Wars shows, and although this will apparently be the last time that Andor plays this rebellion hero, it will still be the longest-running season of related shows in the streaming service’s history (thus far).

5. Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story (Netflix series) and Conversations With A Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes (Netflix docuseries)

Ryan Murphy cannot be stopped, nor can people stop watching shows about serial killers, so Murphy’s dramatized take on the prolific cannibal is still earning major clicks for Netflix. After you’re done listening to people ask what that “smell” is, there’s also Joe Berlinger’s documentary approach to putting Dahmer behind bars. Berlinger previously helmed the dramatized Ted Bundy movie starring Zac Efron, and he’s a big Metallica guy, if you’re into that sort of thing. Alright, I’m clearly attempting to stop thinking about serial killers.

4. Interview With The Vampire (AMC series streaming on AMC+)

Louie and Lestat are finally decloseting their romance, which is a good thing, but also, they’re seriously messy lovers. This show ends up being overall better than the 1990s movie that starred Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, and Jacob Anderson (Grey Worm from Game of Thrones) gives us a much more layered (and socially responsible) Louis than we’ve seen before. Anne Rice lovers can also look forward to The Mayfair Witches, which will star Alexandra Daddario as the heir to a long legacy of magical beings.

3. The Watcher (Netflix series)

More Ryan Murphy. In this project, he gives his audience a supporting cast of Margo Martindale, Richard Kind, Mia Farrow, and Jennifer Coolidge. One or some of them may or may not be terrorizing the Brannock family (including Naomi Watts and Bobby Cannivale) with threatening letters. This show is slightly campy and not full of triggers, and although the real-life story never saw a resolution to the identity of The Watcher, this show takes viewers on a long line of imagined scenarios. This one is definitely worth a watch, as long as your expectations include no definitive ending.

2. Halloween Ends (Universal movie streaming on Peacock)

Jamie Lee Curtis says goodbye to Laurie Strode after literally decades of her dealing with the sh*ttiest brother in the world. Seriously! But for one final round, Mike Myers is back, and the end product is satisfying although not stunning, and do not fear because David Gordon Green is not done with horror yet. He’ll soon begin production on reworking the Blumhouse take on The Exorcist franchise, which is probably something that no one expected from the director of Your Highness and Pineapple Express.

1. House of the Dragon (HBO series on HBO Max)

It seems like only yesterday that plenty of us doubted that the Game of Thrones franchise could overcome the underwhelming final season of the George R.R. Martin flagship series. A pleasant surprise: this is a highly entertaining, action-packed, and well-executed prequel that takes us into all the soap-operatics that eventually brought a dynasty down. Finally, event TV is truly back again, so grab yourself a Negroni Spagliato (with Prosecco in it) and kick your feet up (while avoiding Larys Strong) because the Dance of the Dragons has officially begun.

Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas is one of the newest football venues in the NFL and the Las Vegas Raiders are pulling out all of the entertainment stops to raise the profile of their home games. Sunday’s win against the Houston Texas featured JoJo singing the national anthem, Carl Weathers (of Happy Gilmore and The Mandalorian fame) lighting the ceremonial pre-game torch, and Iggy Azalea performing the halftime show. Heck, even Lil Jon made an appearance mid-game to try to hype up the crowd.

Iggy Azalea might’ve felt like a strange choice. But to the Raider faithful fanbase who simply parties their faces off, Azalea was welcomed as warmly as the in-house cover band who performs overplayed cover songs over the stadium speakers once a quarter. Azalea’s 12-minute performance added to the absurdity of the Raiders game experience. Playing in front of the gigantic torch, she closed with “Fancy” and didn’t hold back one bit on the booty-shaking and slapping. But one Raiders sportswriter wasn’t having it.

The Athletic’s Tashan Reed — who typically strikes a tasteful balance on Twitter between team updates, hip-hop references, and his opinions (sometimes inexplicable ones) on food — chose chaos this afternoon. “The combination of Allegiant Stadium trying to make BBQ and Iggy Azalea performing at halftime is gonna make me depressed,” Reed tweeted. Originally from the St. Louis-area, Reed’s opinions on BBQ carries some weight, but his vocal disdain for Azalea, got him totally roasted by the rapper, who quoted Reed’s tweet and said, “If you think you’re depressed now I’ll spare you the tears you’d cry knowing what my paycheck was to come and jiggle a lil ass.”

That is a cold-blooded own. Think what you will about Iggy Azalea, but she just put Reed in a blender. Rumors of her demise were greatly exaggerated apparently and this bodes well for her comeback plans.

After ‘Animal Farm,’ South Korea’s R&B princess BIBI continues to tease and feed avid listeners parts of the upcoming Lowlife Princess: Noir with two more pre-release singles and a set release date for her first studio album.

Earlier today, BIBI unveiled “Sweet Sorrow Of Mother,” one of two pre-release singles, with a short music video to compliment it. The playful jazz single features a piano accompaniment with a message about the sorrows of being madly in love. Just like ‘Animal Farm,’ BIBI showcases a minimal form of acting as a lonely jazz club singer in the 1920s or 1930s.

BIBI’s other pre-release single “Motospeed 24” is said to be released Friday, October 28, around the same time (12 a.m. EST/1 p.m. KST).

Last Friday, BIBI and the Fheel Good Music team dropped the release schedule for her first studio album, Lowlife Princess: Noir. Besides the two pre-release tracks already set to drop this week, the debut album now has a settled release date for next month. Korean R&B listeners and BIBItans (BIBI fans) can expect the first full project on the midnight (EST/1 p.m. KST) of Friday, November 18. Though more info on the album, tracklist and lead single have yet to be confirmed, fans can now rest easy knowing a date has been settled.

Following the release of her studio album, BIBI will take part of 88Rising’s Head In The Clouds in Jakarta, Indonesia on December 3rd and 4th.

Lowlife Princess: Noir comes out on 11/18 via Fheel Good Music/88Rising.