The original Game of Thrones pilot was famously a “complete piece of shit.” It was so bad, in fact, that showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff threatened to release it on YouTube if Jon Snow actor Kit Harington ever said anything to piss them off. So, how did Thrones go from blackmail material to one of the most popular and award-winning TV shows of all-time? It’s partially thanks to the efforts of Tim Van Patten.
You might not know the name, but you know his work. Van Patten has directed episodes of Boardwalk Empire, Deadwood, Sex and the City, The Wire, and The Sopranos, including many of the show’s best episodes, like “Long Term Parking” and “Soprano Home Movies.” He was also behind the camera for the first (and second) episode of Game of Thrones after the original pilot was deemed unwatchable, as revealed in the new book, It’s Not TV: The Spectacular Rise, Revolution, and Future of HBO.
Michael Lombardo, a top programming executive at [HBO], insisted [Van Patten] read [Game of Thrones]. Van Patten got through ten pages of it. “My head exploded,” he says. “This was way too much to digest.” Then Lombardo showed him the pilot. “This isn’t going to make it,” Van Patten thought to himself.
Eventually, Van Patten agreed to direct the pilot after more persuasion from HBO (and presumably a lot of money). “Shooting a pilot is really hard, and getting into a series is really hard,” Thrones executive producer Carolyn Strauss told authors Felix Gillette and John Koblin. “If you haven’t done it before, it can overwhelm. Timmy had so much series experience, and so much series experience at HBO, they had a lot of trust and faith in him.”
The residue that has likely accumulated from Steve Bannon’s lack of bathing and several layers of shirts may be finally seeping into his brain, like Rudy Giuliani’s hair goo. Despite being recently sentenced to four months in prison for failing to comply with a subpoena to appear before the January 6th committee, Bannon — the former chief strategist to Donald Trump — is still shouting his bizarre political takes and conspiracy theories from anyplace that will let him. And, as Mediaite reports, his latest accusation is a real head-scratcher: Bannon is convinced that John Fetterman, lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania and Democratic nominee for U.S. senator, is a cyborg!
Steve Bannon says that John Fetterman’s use of a closed captioning device following his stoke means that Fetterman is now “a cyborg”: “You actually had a man-machine merger on that stage the other night.” https://t.co/K84cswa9Wnpic.twitter.com/FNjJWF4UVW
On Monday, a clip began making the rounds on Twitter of Bannon appearing as a guest on Diamond and Silk Chit Chat Live, a program on Mike Lindell TV (yes, it pains us to type all of those words), where talked turned to the heated senatorial race in Pennsylvania between Fetterman and New Jersey’s finest TV quack Dr. Mehmet Oz. And Bannon shared his honest (and honestly bizarre) thoughts on the upcoming midterms and why he thinks people should fear Fetterman:
What you see in Fetterman, and why Fetterman is so dangerous — and Fetterman as a concept is dangerous — is… he had a stroke. Now, could he have taken care of himself better? Let’s just leave that aside. He can’t help the fact that he had a stroke. But what we know, and the doctor said last night on CNN, he had a major stroke. In fact, Fetterman’s admitted that. He won’t release his medical records. But what you saw the other night is… he has a machine in front of him. It’s not a closed caption, like you would watch TV and want it to be quiet while you were working on something else and wanted it to be quiet. No, this is a machine that actually helps his brain think through. Without the machine, he can’t understand human conversations. He can’t engage with people. So we actually had what we call a ‘cyborg.’ You actually had man-machine merger on that stage the other night.
Somebody call Cyberdyne Systems! Or James Cameron. If this whole senator thing doesn’t work out, Fetterman could be in line to
While lots of stars tend to go all-out on their Halloween costumes (you can check out some examples here and here), others tend to be more low-key. But while those more simple costumes usually involve a lot fewer moving parts, that doesn’t exactly make them foolproof. JT, who went with common barnyard animal, was miffed to learn that her costume wasn’t what she thought it was — but only after she’d already done her makeup.
The City Girls rapper seemed to take things in stride, though, posting a photo of the faux pas on Instagram and explaining what happened in the caption, turning the mixup into a bit of a Jeff Goldblum in The Fly situation. “I got this thinking it was a bunny,” she explained. “whole time Im a lamb, face paint all wrong, smh. happy Halloween from the lambunny.” You can see in the pic below that she’s certainly got the facepaint of an adorable rabbit, but unfortunately for JT, most sheep don’t have whiskers. However, as one commenter pointed out, her error could simply be the start of a trend; “finna be mad lambunnies next year now watch,” they wrote.
Meanwhile, her City Girl partner-in-rhyme Yung Miami didn’t post a costume pic this year, but did share her fans’ costumes with her infamous “Go Papi” sign from the BET Awards earlier this year, which she held up to support rumored beau Diddy.
In a rare move, Republican Senator Ted Cruz has called out Donald Trump for not dipping into his millions to help out Republican candidates heading into the midterm elections. While opining on a senate race in Colorado where Republican challenger Joe O’Dea is looking to unseat Democratic incumbent Michael Bennett, Cruz put Trump on blast for not helping to turn the tide. (Cruz also called out Mitch McConnell for being cagey about where he donates his PAC funds.)
“I will say by the way — I wish Trump was spending some of his money — Trump’s got a hundred million dollars and he’s spending almost none of it to support these candidates,” Cruz said.
“That is not ideal when Mitch McConnell only spends for the moderates of the anti-Trump candidates. It would be nice if Trump would spend some of that a hundred million dollars to help some of these candidates who Mitch is abandoning because they’re pro-Trump,” he added.
Of course, as has been widely reported, Trump is spending his PAC money on his mounting legal bills instead of helping the party. However, Cruz also brings up another issue. Trump is extremely temperamental. After O’Dea went on a Sunday talk show and said that Trump shouldn’t run in 2024, the former president immediately went to work telling his supporters not to vote for O’Shea.
“You’re just sitting there going, ‘Okay, great. So we’re gonna elect the Democrat who votes pretty much a hundred percent of the time with (Chuck) Schumer and (Joe) Biden,’” Cruz said before chiding O’Dea for “poking the bear” and Trump for, well, being the bear. “Do I wish Trump would exercise the restraint not to take a bat to him? Yes, but he’s not going to.”
Jimmy Fallon has teamed up with country music legend Dolly Parton to pose a difficult question — is it ever “too early” for Christmas music?
The Tonight Show host announced Monday night (October 31) that he is releasing a holiday song with Parton, “Almost Too Early For Christmas,” to help answer that question. He also played a significant portion of the track. The song would be his second Christmas single after last year’s “It Was A… (Masked Christmas),” which featured Ariana Grande and Megan Thee Stallion.
Fallon noted how we wonder how best to maneuver our playlists after Thanksgiving.
“People have that debate after Thanksgiving, they have that debate where they go, ‘Oh, can we listen to holiday music? Can we listen to Christmas music? Is it too early,” he said. “Can we put on Mariah Carey now?’ I say, ‘Yeah, if it’s good, you should.’”
During the rest of the broadcast, the talk show host shared he thought it would be fun to put the song out around Halloween. Later, he shared a brief song clip, giving viewers an extraordinary sneak peek of his duet with Parton.
“It’s almost too early for Christmas / but why don’t we see how this goes,” the host and country singer croon as the chorus begins.
Fallon visited Parton this past summer while collaborating on NBC’s upcoming holiday special, “Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas.”
“Almost Too Early For Christmas” drops this Friday, November 4. In the meantime, check out the preview clip above.
For those who might be feeling blue following Halloween weekend, have no fear. The musicians below have proven there’s truly no shortage of pop music during the winter months. So, prepare your holiday decorations, gather some treats, find a spot to stay warm, and scroll below to see some of this week’s best new pop tunes — because we all could use something to dance to… Or cry. Or both. You might even find a certain artist who puts the “R” in return. (Spoiler: She’s in the photo above. It’s Rihanna.)
Find the rest of Uproxx’s Best New Pop weekly roundup below.
Rihanna — “Lift Me Up
Queen RiRi is finally back with her first new song in years. “Lift Me Up” is a powerful tribute to the late actor Chadwick Boseman on the soundtrack for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Allegedly, it appears in the film’s end credits, which is the perfect placement for Marvel stans and Rihanna Navy alike to clap for this captivating ballad. She’s also set to headline the Super Bowl Halftime Show next year, so here’s hoping this is her way of easing fans into a potential fall takeover.
Dove Cameron — “Bad Idea”
“Go ahead and tell me something you learned in therapy,” Dove Cameron dishes on “Bad Idea.” She notes it encapsulates “the moment before diving into what could potentially be a severe crash-and-burn but deciding to take the risk anyway,” according to a press release. The risk, in this case, is running back to a questionable relationship — which was rumored to be about her ex-boyfriend. She seems to have lots planned for this era, including a possible music video filmed at the Moulin Rouge and even more new music on the way.
Holly Humberstone — “Can You Afford To Lose Me”
Holly Humberstone’s “Can You Afford To Lose Me” has been making the rounds on all of my friends’ Instagram stories and for very good reason. If there’s any track to cry to this week on this list, it would be this one. It’s a breakup ballad with piano notes that will hit directly to your core. It also doubles as the title track from her recent collection, which she described (via NME) as “a heartbreaking ode to a relationship hurtling toward its conclusion.”
Kailee Morgue — “Arizona Pretty”
“Arizona Pretty” is one of my personal favorites from Kailee Morgue’s new album, Girl Next Door. Sonically, it feels straight out of the early 2000s. Or part of a soundtrack to a road trip with the girls. Lyrically, it takes on a somewhat darker tone about re-learning to love yourself with the impossible beauty standards of Los Angeles. “I’m going Hollywood insane / And everyone out here just starts to look the same,” she notes towards the song’s end.
Mae Muller — “I Just Came To Dance”
Mae Muller has been turning out hit after hit during the pandemic, and “I Just Came To Dance” is no exception. From the first second the synth beat starts, Muller makes an incredible impression on new and returning listeners alike.
Rachel Chinouriri — “I’m Not Perfect (But I’m Trying)”
“I’d walk on water if I could / To be lovеd, to be understood / What’s it worth, was it for the good, for the good?” asks Rachel Chinouriri on her new single, “I’m Not Perfect (But I’m Trying).” Dealing with everything from indecisiveness to forgiving yourself for past mistakes, her masterful vocals carry the emotional track forward for listeners.
Ella Jane — “Warhol”
While Ella Jane told Flood Magazine that she intended for “Warhol” to be “about this guy who told me I reminded him of his girlfriend—something kind of fun and stupid,” the writing process of her new song made her realize it was actually a personal one. It’s about an identity struggle: the public persona vs. a private one — and the attempt to figure out who you are between them.
Gus Dapperton — “Wet Cement”
Dapperton’s latest starts as a somber, calming single before transforming itself. By the time the beat changes, listeners realize “Wet Cement” is something different entirely, without ever feeling jarring or abrupt. There’s even a psychedelic guitar solo toward the end.
Gia Woods — “Cruel Intentions”
Another new album not to miss this week is Gia Woods’ Heartbreak County, Vol. 2. “Cruel Intentions” closes out the record on a high note, as Woods’ vocals blend perfectly with the soft, synth instrumental. An emotional tale about encountering an ex, she describes it as “twisted nirvana” — and the drums on the final chorus carry the point home.
Christian French — “Karma”
While Christian French might have titled his new song, “Karma,” the message is about choosing your own fate — rather than relying on outside forces. “We’ll work it out if we wanna / Don’t matter what the universe says,” he concludes in the chorus, seemingly addressing a past relationship that went downhill.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Health and wellness may be buzzwords for some of you, but for singer and radio host Al B. Sure, it’s a matter of life and death. The entertainer began documenting his health journey in mid-July on Instagram encouraging fans to get checked out.
Although the New Jack Swing crooner didn’t share specifics about his conditions in the videos and photos posted, Sure reveals he has undergone various tests and procedures, including intensive blood work as well as upper body X-rays. But after going silent from the platform in early August, his son now reveals the “Nite And Day” singer was in a coma since his last posting.
In a birthday post on Instagram Al B. Sure, Jr. revealed that his father has been fight his way out of a coma since the summer and has since woken up.
“Thank your every 1 for the bday wishes!! [I’ve] been kinda out of it and in my own world!! POPS BEEN hospitalized FOR 2 months and he just made it out!! So I’m much better and ready to get back on my sh*t! It’s time to get the f*ck up pop!! We got Sh*t to do!!!! And countries to visit! Thank u for all the concerns and worries about my family! Today is my day but this is for my pops! All I want for him is to get out that f*ckin hospital,” wrote Jr.
His father then taking to Twitter to share his official statement, “I’m alive, awake, on the mend. Submissively grateful! #AllPraiseisDuetoAllah. I’ll share more of my health experience soon in hopes to encourage us all to stay on top of our #HealthandWellness #GoSeetheDoctor.”
Celebrity versions of game shows are usually a bit less intense than their ordinary counterparts. Contestants are playing for charity, for starters, which means no one is personally playing for life-changing money. But those celebrities are often huge fans of the show, which means the nerves are there despite the looser dialogue and jokes you might see onCelebrity Wheel of Fortune.
And for one player, his turn on the Celebrity edition of the Pat Sajak-hosted show will actually serve as good practice. Austin Creed, AKA WWE superstar Xavier Woods, is a huge Wheel of Fortune fan. He played against actor and comedian Steve Agee and The Office alum Kate Flannery. And he kind of stole the show, winning a lot of money for his Gaming charity in the process.
Getting the chance to be on Wheel of Fortune after trying to get on for years was an unreal experience. I loved every second of it and thank you all for watching! #NewProfilePicpic.twitter.com/60DW2hIxo8
“Y’all know that I love Wheel of Fortune,” he said. “And I’m here to announce that maybe you get the chance to be on Wheel of Fortune with your favorite WWE superstars.”
Creed encouraged people to apply online to be a contestant on the show, which will have a full WWE week at some point in the future. Which is great because Creed was really great on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, so it would be a delight to see him on stage again. He played up every puzzle, asked the audience at one point whether he should spin or solve, and just generally looked extremely comfortable on stage. It looked like a blast. And it really did seem to mean something to him as well.
Getting the chance to be on Wheel of Fortune after trying to get on for years was an unreal experience. I loved every second of it and thank you all for watching! #NewProfilePicpic.twitter.com/60DW2hIxo8
In a video posted on YouTube, he revealed that he actually brought an original Nintendo Wheel of Fortune cartridge for Pat Sajak to sign.
Which means he’s definitely excited for the chance to come back. And given how well he did on Celebrity Wheel, it’s clear he would be the favorite to win once again once WWE week comes around.
Taylor Swift announced her first live concerts in five years with 2023’s The Eras Tour. Starting in March, she will embark on a stadium tour across North America, playing selections from all of her past album eras — including her recently-released tenth record, Midnights. However, international fans are wondering when she will be visiting them.
“I’m enchanted to announce my next tour: Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour, a journey through the musical eras of my career (past & present!) The first leg of the tour will be in stadiums across the US, with international dates to be announced as soon as we can,” Swift shared on social media this morning.
Before unveiling the North American leg first, many Swifties had speculated she would start in Europe first. The presale for Midnights in her online UK store gave fans who purchased the album a code “for forthcoming and yet to be announced Taylor Swift show dates.”
Taylor Swift confirms a ‘Midnights’ tour is happening on her UK website.
All fans who pre-order the album through October 21 on the official UK store will get a special presale code. pic.twitter.com/0ENQX898fF
Adding credibility to the initial belief that Swift would head to Europe first, she recently appeared on The Graham Norton Show where she was asked about her then-potential plans for shows. “It’s soon-ish. We’ll do it, it’s gonna be great,” she responded.
Taylor Swift talking about her tour on The Graham Norton Show!! That face she pulls at the end and then drinks her wine! pic.twitter.com/m4O8euAjjQ
While Taylor Swift hasn’t officially announced the UK and Europe tour dates, they clearly have been meticulously planned already. This is just a sign to get emotionally prepared and save up what you can.
Florence Pugh has been so integral to the Hollywood shift over the last five years, it seems absurd to think about a time when she was almost a sitcom star on a FOX cable comedy. Could you imagine something like Glee but with Flo’s signature pout? That was almost a reality when the then-unknown actress landed a role on Studio City, a show about a pop star and her songwriting dad who turns into a celebrity drug dealer.
While the concept is a bit like a grown-up Hannah Montana, Pugh recalled that the studio was not kind and immediately wanted to change almost everything about her. She didn’t want to take the opportunity for granted, though. “I felt very lucky and grateful, and couldn’t believe that I had got this top-of-the-game job,” Pugh told The Telegraph. But once they started picking apart her looks, Pugh was not on board.
All the things that they were trying to change about me – whether it was my weight, my look, the shape of my face, the shape of my eyebrows – that was so not what I wanted to do, or the industry I wanted to work in. I’d thought the film business would be like [my experience of making] The Falling, but actually, this was what the top of the game looked like, and I felt I’d made a massive mistake.
Pugh eventually left the project, which never ended up seeing the light of day. Instead, she was cast just two weeks later in her breakout role in Lady Macbeth. “That made me fall back in love with cinema – the kind of cinema that was a space where you could be opinionated, and loud, and I’ve stuck by that,” Pugh said of the movie. “I think it’s far too easy for people in this industry to push you left and right. And I was lucky enough to discover when I was 19 what kind of a performer I wanted to be.”
This isn’t uncommon with young female stars who are often pushed to plastic surgery or dramatic weight loss. Bella Hadid recently opened up about her regret surrounding her nose job, while Pugh has been outspoken about how the media treats her own body on Instagram. Maybe this means that Hollywood is actually beginning to listen to stars and let people look how they look. A wild concept!
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ABS! 
Taylor Swift confirms a ‘Midnights’ tour is happening on her UK website. 