"The X-Files" revival has creator and writer Chris Carter back at the helm. Duchovny and Anderson reprise the roles of FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, respectively. The short season will have a mix of standalone and mythology episodes.
“Even though there’s only six [episodes], there will be a mix,” Duchovny said in a recent interview. “It’s not really 'The X-Files' without the mythology.”
In recent news, "Community" star Joel McHale had been cast on the series. He will play Tad O’Malley, the anchor of a popular conservative Internet news network who becomes an unlikely ally for Duchovny's Mulder.
The X-Files returns to Fox with a two-night event starting Sunday, Jan. 24 at 10 p.m. following the NFC Championship Game and then continues on Monday, Jan. 25 at 10 p.m. After that, it will air on Mondays for the duration of the season. This is the first time X-Files will return to TV since the final season aired in 2002, although the pair shot an X-Files movie together in 2008.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Fred Savage is snuffing out any hope that his seminal series "Wonder Years" will get a modern day revival.
"Zero," Savage told People magazine of the chances for a reunion of the hit ABC drama during the ATX television Festival in Austin, Texas. "Never," he added.
The 38-year-old actor — who's starring on the new Fox comedy "Grinder" alongside Rob Lowe in the fall — feels that reuniting the cast would ruin the perfect moment in the characters' lives on the series.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view."The Wonder Years" starred Savage as young boy coming of age during the 1960s. It aired from 1988-1993 on ABC.
"You can't really go back to it," he explained. "You can't all be 12 again, and that's why that time in our life is so special and why all the memories still stay with us and warm us and haunt us and all those things – because we can't go back to it."
"The Simpsons" is about to return for its 27th season, a feat that's very rare in the TV industry, even for an animated series.
On its way to 625 episodes — more than "Family Guy" and "South Park" combined — "Simpsons" executive producer Al Jean told Variety that she thinks the show stays fresh by keeping up with current events, letting the real world serve up the story ideas.
We just had this thing a year ago where we did a World Cup parody. We were reading about the corruption in Greece. We had a FIFA executive get arrested, and now this week it’s gone online and gotten half a million views. There are things that happen in the world. We can’t do daily humor like “The Daily Show,” but there’s always insane stuff going in the world that you can’t imagine. I still think back, the Vice President shot a guy in the face — and the guy apologized. That happened! If we put it in a show people would go, “That’s ridiculous!”
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Speaking of current events, Jean is thrilled that family patriarch Homer Simpson has another crack at voting in a presidential election.
"We’re definitely going to have Homer vote in 2016," Jean told Variety. "One aspect of the pickup that made me happy is that Homer can vote again. He voted for Romney in 2012 because he invented Obamacare. He tried to vote for Obama in 2008 but all his votes went to McCain."
He added, "We’re not sure who the candidates are yet, but whatever he wants it’s not going to happen."
Rupert Murdoch is reportedly preparing to step down as CEO of 21st Century Fox to hand off the title to his son James.
An announcement is expected in the near future, but it is uncertain if the changes in leadership roles will take place this year or in 2016, CNBC reported Thursday, citing sources close to the Murdoch family. The news is also being reported by the New York Times, citing people familiar with the matter. Rupert Murdoch will stay on Fox as its executive chairman and his elder son, Lachlan, would become an executive co-chairman. James Murdoch will be in charge of Fox’s day-to-day management, though he will work alongside with Lachlan and their father.
In addition, CNBC reported the company’s COO Chase Carey will step down and take on a different role. This would mean that Fox would no longer have any kind of senior management from outside of the Murdoch family. However, James Murdoch has a multitude of business experiences and backings from several prominent figures that will help him transition to his biggest business role yet.
After graduating from the Horace Mann School in New York City in 1991, James Murdoch attended Harvard University, where he studied film and history and worked at the college’s satirical magazine The Harvard Lampoon, according to BBC. He ended up dropping out of Harvard in 1995 and started a hip-hop record label called Rawkus with his friends. Rawkus was churning out about $2.5 million in profits a year when News Corporation, his father’s media conglomerate, later bought the label in 1998.
Murdoch ended up working within several division of News Corp. with mixed results. He had high points: he turned around News Corp.’s Asian satellite service StarTV, which was losing £100 million a year when he took over in 1999, according to BBC. And he had lows: an Australian telecoms venture he started with Lachlan and James Parker crashed and burned in 2001. But his success with News Corp’s entities in Asia helped him secure the role of CEO at British satellite broadcaster Sky, in which News Corp. was its biggest shareholder.
Murdoch was the chair at both News Corp.’s subsidiary News International and Sky when a phone hacking scandal engulfed the Murdoch family and News Corp. in 2012, as reported by The Christian Science Monitor. He served as New International’s chairman when journalists at The News of the World, News International’s UK tabloid newspaper, allegedly hacked phones and bribed officials. The scandal led to the newspaper’s closure.
He would eventually be cleared of any wrongdoing in the phone hacking scandal. In 2013, he and his brother joined 21st Century Fox as directors, and James became co-COO last year. Several powerful figures have expressed support for the younger Murdoch to take on a bigger role in his father’s company.
Like his father Rupert, James is very hardworking person, said Saad Mohseni, chairman and CEO of the Afghan media company Moby Group, in which Fox holds a stake. "He doesn't get the benefit of the doubt,” he said to Reuters in April 2015. “For him, every step of the way he has to prove himself."
Saudi Arabia’s Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, who is friends with the Murdoch family and has a 6.6 percent voting stake in Fox, has been very clear that he wants James to step up at Fox.
"James is a giant!" the billionaire prince told Reuters in April 2015, adding that James understands the digital era’s effect on media. "I really love him!"
The elder Mr. Murdoch, 84, will remain on as executive chairman at Fox, according to people familiar with the matter. His older son Lachlan Murdoch, 43, will be named executive co-chairman, the people said, while Chase Carey, who is currently chief operating officer of the company, will stay on in an advisory role to the senior Mr. Murdoch.
The Journal then reports:
The timing of these moves hasn't yet been decided and could happen as early as this year or as late as next year, the person said. The matter of succession is on the agenda at the next 21st Century Fox board meeting, the people said.
There are a lot of unanswered questions including, for the Australian arm of the business, what exactly James and Lachlan think about newspapers.
In the CEO role at 21st Century Fox, James gets to make the decisions about the running of the company. But his brother Lachlan is co-chair of the board, along with his father.
In Australia, where News Corp started, one of the biggest questions building for years has been what happens to the printed newspapers and their businesses after there's a change from Rupert's leadership, because he absolutely loves newspapers and believes passionately about their role in society.
Right now there are no answers. The chaos remains.
The first teaser for Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig's Lifetime movie, "A Deadly Adoption," has arrived.
For the past few months, the movie has been shrouded in controversy and some wondered if it would even air.
News of the project leaked earlier this year on April 1 aka April Fools Day. Apparently, Ferrell had wanted to make a Lifetime movie for some time and finally did it.
The day after the news broke, Ferrell, reportedly unhappy about the news leaking and wanting to keep the movie secret, denied that it was happening at all. That caused the media to report that the movie had been canceled and could have possibly been an April Fools joke.
Yet, despite the reports, I had learned that the movie was still on. After all, it had already wrapped shooting and Lifetime was going forward on releasing it as part of its 25th anniversary celebration of its TV movies this summer, according to my sources.
The rest of the world caught up when earlier this month, a billboard for the movie went up in Los Angeles. And now, we have the first teaser with actual footage from "A Deadly Adoption" to finally prove that the movie wasn't an April Fool's joke all along.
The video is only 20 seconds long, but it's enough to tell that Ferrell and Wigg achieved their goal of making a Lifetime movie -- with all its over-the-top drama.
"A Deadly Adoption" stars Ferrell, who's also an executive producer, and Wiig as a married couple taking care of a pregnant woman (played by “90210’s” Jessica Lowndes), whose baby they plan to adopt. Clearly, complications ensue.
"A Deadly Adoption" premieres Saturday, June 20 on Lifetime.
The highly anticipated "Twin Peaks" reboot has been in the works for much longer than even its star realized.
While promoting the upcoming "Inside Out" at an AOL Build Q&A, Kyle MacLachlan took questions about "Twin Peaks."
MacLachlan's role on the show as Agent Dale Cooper is one of the defining roles of a career that also includes performances in everything from "Blue Velvet" to "Portlandia." MacLachlan explained he has wanted to return to this role ever since the show went off the air in 1991.
"Well, I have been interested in returning to Twin Peaks as Agent Cooper for a little while now and every now and then when I would meet up with ["Twin Peaks" co-creator] Mr. [David] Lynch and we would talk about it." MacLachlan said. "I was always sort of bringing it up and saying, 'you know...wouldn't it be a great idea?' And David was very accommodating, very nice but it really wasn't at the top of his list."
Lynch's last feature film was 2006's "Inland Empire." He is also a public advocate for Transcendental Meditation. He also occasionally talks about the weather.
After "Twin Peaks" left the air, it was followed by the 1992 feature "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me," which Lynch directed.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.What MacLachlan didn't realize, however, was that he wasn't the only one who wanted to bring the series back.
"Unbeknownst to me, he and ["Twin Peaks" co-creator] Marc Frost got together and sort of started kicking around some ideas a couple of years ago. But he didn't reveal anything to me until much later in the game and I was so excited. It's perhaps my favorite character that I've ever done." MacLachlan said.
The actor wouldn't go into much detail, but he did reveal that they would be "going back sometime this fall" to begin filming.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.The "Twin Peaks" series has had a rocky path back to television.
Earlier this year, it was announced Showtime would bring "Twin Peaks" back on the air. Then, the reboot was cancelled after Lynch unexpectedly left. However, it now appears Lynch will be back, and loyal fans will get the new season of "Twin Peaks" they were hoping for.
As for what this new season is about?
That remains a mystery.
"I've read some material," said MacLachlan. "Nothing I can really comment on but it got me very excited as an actor."
"Twin Peaks" will be back sometime in 2016.
Until then, you can hear MacLachlan's voice in Pixar's next film, "Inside Out," which will be in theaters June 19.
Some television critics and a lot of viewers are up in arms over CBS's new reality series, "The Briefcase."
Detractors are saying that the show takes advantage of the poor by forcing its financially-challenged contestants to make very stressful decisions, and pits poor families against each other.
At this time, nearly 14,000 people have signed an online petition requesting that CBS cancel the show.
It should be noted that the petition includes the signatures of people who live outside the United States, where the show hasn't aired.
So, what's the deal with "The Briefcase"?Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
The show hands a family a briefcase with $101,000. But there are strings attached.
The family also learns of another cash-strapped family and are given the option to keep the money or give some or all of it to the other family. What both families don't know is that each has been given the same amount of money and the same moral dilemma.
"In the two episodes CBS made available for review, the decision weighs incredibly heavily on all participants. One woman is so overcome that she vomits," wrote Vulture TV critic Margaret Lyons.
She goes on to ask, "How much struggle are we expecting everyone to endure? And how much are we exploiting that struggle by turning it into entertainment?"
The creator of "The Briefcase," David Broome (who also created weight loss show "Biggest Loser"), defended his show to the New York Post. He said the series is less about money and more about forming connections between strangers.
“Don’t tell me this is taking poverty-stricken people and pitting them against each other,” says a defiant Broome, who appears on-camera giving the briefcase to the Bailey-Stewarts. “I don’t want the media portraying it like that. We’re taking two typical middle-class families — that’s the starting point for us … and to see headlines about ‘poverty-stricken people being pitted against each other’ … that’s horrifically sad and misleading to the real poverty-stricken people in this country.
A CBS representative declined to comment for this story.
"The Briefcase," which airs on Wednesdays, currently averages a 1.07 rating in the advertiser-coveted Adults aged 18-49 years old and 5.7 million viewers after just three episodes.
If you've been counting down the days for the return of "Orange is the New Black," good news — Netflix decided to release the new season hours ahead of schedule.
NBC's "Hannibal" is a series that is appealing for many reasons, but a big one is obvious from day one: The food.
"Hannibal" is lavish in its attentions to all things culinary, putting together better shot and more artfully presented food porn than anything you'll see on Food Network.
Of course, food is also where the show gets most of its horror from, given its subject's horrific palate. The dishes cooked by Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) often appear succulent and lovely; revolting to the viewer only because they know where they come from (and sometimes, they still look good).
Much of this is thanks to the work of "Hannibal"food stylist Janice Poon, who runs lengthy postmortems of the show's dishes—complete with non-cannibal recipes—on her blog, Feeding Hannibal. It's a page you may want to bookmark with "Hannibal" season 3 now upon us.
("Aperitif," season 1, episode 1): Hannibal's first scene has him dining on what looks like veal. It's probably not veal.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
("Amuse-Bouche," season 1, episode 2): Hannibal serves Jack Crawford what he calls Pork Loin with Red Fruit Cumberland Sauce. While we don't see him kill anyone, we probably shouldn't trust him.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
("Oeuf,"season 1, episode 4): Hannibal calls this elegant dish "rabbit." It's a person. Surprise!
Netflix made a splash on Thursday when the movie- and TV-streaming site released the third season of "Orange Is the New Black"six hours early.
The season's episodes were originally supposed to post at 3 a.m. ET. Instead they emerged at 9 p.m. ET and caused an instant wave of excitement among fans.
Attention inmates! Orange Is the New Black season 3 is out on early release. #OrangeCon
"OITNB," the abbreviation for the show's title, began trending on Twitter within minutes of Netflix's announcement, CNN reported.
So why did Netflix release the season early? First and foremost, to create buzz around the show's release. That's a given, and the company accomplished that.
But the timing of the release also coincided with an announcement made during Orange Con, a gathering of "OITNB" fans, cast members, and producers held Thursday in New York City, an individual close to the show told Business Insider.
It will be interesting to see whether this stunt improves viewership of "OITNB," but don't hold your breath. Netflix is known to be secretive about its viewing numbers.
A Netflix representative declined to comment for this article.
If you were a fan of "True Detective" last season, get ready to be addicted to the upcoming season two.
But if you’re late to the game and never watched season one, don’t worry, it’s a whole new cast and whole new story. Though show creator Nic Pizzolatto has kept a few things the same.
We got a chance to see the first few episode of the second season of the hit HBO drama and put together a few reasons you should be excited for June 21st.
1. The new cast is looking good
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Many were skeptical that the cast for season two could top the performances by Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson in the first season. But it’s certainly looking from the first few episodes that Pizzolatto has found the right group to play this season’s twisted souls.
Ray Velcoro (Colin Farrell), Ani Bezzerides (Rachel McAdams), and Paul Woodrugh (Taylor Kitsch) are cops from different departments who are forced to work together to solve a murder. But like the first season, all these officers have dark personal lives and ulterior motives that will be fun to see play out through the talents of Farrell, McAdams, and Kitsch.
And then there’s Vince Vaughn playing shady businessman Frank Semyon, who might be trying to go legit thanks to a new venture he’s getting off the ground. But with his business partner recently coming up dead, it’s looking like Semyon's dark side will soon show itself. Trust us, Vaughn playing evil is going to be good.
2. Who killed Casper? Like the murder of Dora Lange in season one, the murder of city manager Ben Casper, who was also Semyon’s business partner, is the incident that has brought all our main characters together. Casper is a no show for Semyon’s unveiling party for his proposed high-speed train line through the middle of the state. Later that evening, Woodrugh finds Casper up the coast dead with his eyes burn out with acid. The whodunit is now in place for season two as not just the police want to know who did this to Casper, but Semyon too.
3. From Bayou to industrial
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view. As season one was filled with the woods and swamps of Louisiana, we’ve now been drastically moved to concrete and smog in California. The main area of Los Angeles County we find ourselves in is Vinci, an industrial city that’s known best for its crooked politicians and having the worst air pollution in the state. As our main characters try to figure out who killed Capser, Vinci’s decrepit landscape looks to be our main setting.
4. Flat circles to wavy lines The super fans of season one couldn’t get enough of searching for secrets buried in the shots and production design of every episode. Especially its theme of circles. With Los Angeles’ endless freeways and roads along the pacific coast (and the proposed train line), it looks like this season’s theme will be lines that go as far as the horizon. An appropriate feel as the director of numerous episodes this season is “Fast and Furious” franchise alum Justin Lin.
5. There will be blood It’s become apparent that Nic Pizzolatto loves two things, dialogue and violence. And season two has a lot of each. So far Farrell and Vaughn’s characters have delivered the most powerful dialogue-driven performances, but we’ll certainly see all the leads get their moment in the spotlight. And when it comes to brutality, be sure not to miss the first episode as Farrell’s Velcoro character has a laps in judgment that’s as twisted as anything from the first season.
The theme for "Game of Thrones" is one of the most recognizable on TV right now, and not just because it has been around for five years.
Composed by Ramin Djawadi, the theme is simple yet rich, immediately evocative of the clockwork map it accompanies during the show's title credits each week.
Like most music composed to accompany visual art, the "Thrones" theme is one that was intentionally designed to encapsulate some of the most important ideas behind the show. On the most recent Song Exploder podcast, Djawadi himself takes some time to break down just how he wanted the music to reflect the complex machinations of the show.
One of the best examples Djawadi explores is the theme's riff — that part that you hum at the very beginning. Djawadi composed it in a minor key, but with a brief switch to a major key — and since the entire theme is built around that riff, its tonality (the key it's in) subtly expresses one of the biggest truths of the show.
"There's so much backstabbing and conspiracy — anybody can turn on anybody at any point," said Djawadi. "So I thought it would be cool to do the same play with the music. So even though the majority of the piece is in minor, there's that little hint of major in there where it kind of switches and then it changes back again."
It's a cool little detail about the catchiest part of the song — which, in the years since it debuted, has been remixed and redone with everything from cats:
To Peter Dinklage's name, hilariously repeated over and over again:
You can listen to the full podcast below for more, and check out Song Exploder for more great dissections of memorable tunes.
By now most fans know that HBO’s hit show “Game of Thrones” is based on an original book series by George R.R. Martin. What they might not realize is that fans of the books have amassed dozens and dozens of predictions and theories that cover a wide range of characters.
Martin began writing the saga titled "A Song of Ice and Fire" nearly two decades ago, this means that diehard fans of the novels have had more than enough time to come up with a range of theories about current characters and plots and where they all might be headed.
Other theories have more of a conspiracy feel to them — loosely connecting threads and unabashedly stretching the imagination. For example, the suggestion that Daario, the handsome sellsword Daenerys is currently having an affair with, is actually Benjen Stark— Ned Stark’s brother who went missing from the Night’s Watch.
But there is one theory that rises above all others in the realm of insanity (bordering on genius). We’re talking about the “Cleganebowl."
It goes a little something like this:
Sandor “The Hound” Clegane is going to return to King’s Landing in order to fight his brother, Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane, to the death in a trial by combat for Cersei Lannister.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.This may sound a bit bizarre to those who have been following the show.
Wasn't the Hound left for dead in season 4? And isn’t The Mountain lying under a sheet in some creepy guy’s laboratory? Even if they're both alive, why should I care if they fight?
All this, and more, to come.
First let’s look at why this theory is relevant right now based on events taking place in season five.
A champion for the crown
In episode seven, we saw the High Sparrow (the leader of the Faith) arrest Cersei and throw her into a cell to await trial. We learned afterward she was imprisoned for her role in King Robert’s death as well as her incestual sexual habits with her brother Jaime.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Now, on the show so far, we have never seen a trial concluded in a purely judicial manner. Tyrion has twice stood accused of crimes, and both times he demanded a trial by combat. A trial by combat allows the defendant to select a “champion” to represent him in a fight to the death against the selected champion of the prosecution. The guilt of the defendant is determined by whether their champion wins or loses.
*Minor spoilers ahead now for show-only fans*
From the books, we know that Cersei will demand a trial by combat. And her champion? Well this is where it gets a bit complicated.
The Undead Mountain
Back in season four, we watched in horror as Oberyn Martell battled against Gregor Clegane (commonly known as The Mountain). Oberyn managed to stab The Mountain with a poisoned spear, but it wasn’t enough to win the fight. The Mountain crushed Oberyn’s head in with his bare hands, and won the trial by combat.
Since then, we have only had glimpses of The Mountain in what appeared to be various stages of experiments.
Here Qyburn examines the poisoned wound, and reassured Cersei that he had a plan to keep The Mountain alive.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.When he was explaining to Cersei the gist of his plan, he warned her: "You should know. The process may change him, somewhat.”
Next, in season five episode three, we got a glimpse into Qyburn’s laboratory when Cersei asked him to send a letter. While there, Cersei asked “How’s your work coming along?” (referring to the Mountain's "healing").
Qyburn replied “Better than expected, but still a ways to go.”
Then we see a large shrouded figure in the background, and suddenly it writhes under the sheet.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.So we know that The Mountain is still alive in some capacity.
In the written series, Cersei writes to Qyburn from her prison cell and tells him to appoint a new member of the Kingsguard — one that can serve as her champion. Qyburn presents a large knight named Ser Robert Strong.
It is extremely likely that Robert Strong is none other than the zombified version of The Mountain that Qyburn has been experimenting on. So, Cersei has her champion.
The Faith’s Champion
In order to understand why fans think Sandor “The Hound” Clegane will be named the Faith’s champion, we must explore a tangential theory known as “The Gravedigger.” YouTube user Alt Shift X made a popular visual explanation of the theory — you can watch the full video here.
The basics of this theory center around The Hound, and how in both the books and the show he is never actually seen dead. The last time we saw him on the show was in the season four finale, when Arya left him grievously wounded. This same scenario happens in the books, though the fight that leaves him injured is different.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.In the books, Brienne of Tarth is wandering the country, looking for The Hound and (she hopes) Sansa or Arya. She goes to a place called the Quiet Isle, a sort of monastery for brothers of the Faith, and speaks to the Elder Brother.
This Elder Brother knows much about The Hound, and admits that he came across him while wounded and did his best to help him. Brienne then notices a very large man at the monastery who is digging graves. His head and face are nearly completely covered, but Brienne can tell he is limping from what could be a healing leg wound (the exact type that The Hound sustained). The Hound’s horse is at the Quiet Isle stables — another hint that The Hound is likely nearby. His horse is notorious for being uncontrollable by any other than The Hound himself.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Lastly, the Elder Brother is very vague when discussing The Hound’s supposed death. As Alt Shift X puts it, “The most he'll say about Sandor Clegane is that he's 'at rest.' So what the Elder Brothercould be getting at is that the hateful, violent part of Sandor Clegane,called the Hound, is metaphorically dead, leaving Sandor Clegane ‘at rest,’ and most importantly for us,literally alive.”
So the Gravedigger theory infers that not only is the Hound alive, but he has now been brought into the Faith and serves them as Sandor Clegane.
Cleganebowl and the hype that won’t die
These two separate incidences — zombie Mountain and grave digging Hound — have combined to give birth to the Cleganebowl theory.
It started in 2013, when a 4chan thread about “Game of Thrones” prompted a user to submit their theory.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
The title for the theory likely was inspired by the 2013 NFL Superbowl when coaches of the opposing teams also happened to be brothers: Jim and John Harbaugh. Football fans and sports announcers quickly nicknamed the game “The Harbowl.”
Since the Hound and the Mountain are brothers, and the theory assumes they will have an epic fight, Cleganebowl is the best fitting title. They share the same last name — Sandor and Gregor Clegane — and this trial by combat would basically be the equivalent of a Westerosi Superbowl.
This original 4Chan thread references the "Valonquar" prophecy which we explained more here. The gist of it is that Cersei went to a fortune teller when she was younger, and was told that she would be killed by "the valonqar." That is a term that means "younger brother," so the Cleganebowl theory postulates that the Hound is the younger brother in the scenario, and his victory will lead to Cersei's execution.
Believers in the Cleganebowl are a unique brand of fans. The tagline that generally follows any online allusions to the involved characters is a simple: “GET HYPE.” An entire subreddit is dedicated to the converted believers, and this Google search history shows the spikes of interest over the years.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Cleaganebowl-subscribers have a flair for the unique. There is a group of YouTube videos that mash up footage from the show with glaring strobe-text and an intense hip-hop/dubstep/electronic music soundtrack. Here are some of the top viewed ones [Warning: NSFW language and loud music]
Cleganebowl is such a popular theory not just because of its outlandish fanbase, but also because it would actually be a really awesome scene to watch play out. The Hound and the Mountain are two of Westeros' renowned fighters with a lot of anger to spare. They have an intense rivalry (remember it was the Mountain who disfigured the Hound's face when they were children) that would make a fight to the death extremely intense.
Airhorns and Cleganebowl-hype-meters aside, there is sufficient evidence for the two main components of the theory. The Mountain could definitely be Ser Robert Strong, and will represent Cersei in her trial-by-combat. It is also likely that the Hound is alive and living on the Quiet Isle.
So far, season five has alluded heavily to the Mountain's return. Whether the Hound resurfaces is another story, but those who believe it will happen will certainly wait with bated breath to see if this insane theory comes true.
If you've binged at least halfway through Netflix's newly released third season of "Orange Is the New Black," then you've probably noticed an attractive new inmate with eyes for Piper (Taylor Schilling).
In her first big role, 29-year-old Australia native Ruby Rose plays mysterious new inmate, Stella Carlin.
“Stella is sort of an androgynous, cool, charismatic, and charming girl who I think also is pretty gender-fluid,” Rose told EW.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.She also may play a role in creating friction between Piper and her on-and-off girlfriend, Alex (Laura Prepon)
“She definitely causes some waves,” added the model-turned-actress.
A relative newcomer to acting, especially on this side of the world, Business Insider rounded up some information about the up and comer.
Here's six things to know about Ruby Rose:
1.) Rush came out as lesbian at the age of 12 and her first crush was Mariah Carey.
“I was pretty certain we were going to end up together,” she told Vanity Fair.
2.) She doesn't like to be labeled as a model.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view. Rose began her modeling career when she came in second in a 2002 model search by Australian teen magazine, "Girlfriend." She told Rolling Stone, "I don't think of myself as a model."
3.) She used to be a VJ on MTV Australia.
Rose decided to leave her acting studies behind and work for MTV Australia. But, she “always had acting in the back of my mind,” she said to EW.
But, she still preferred being an MTV VJ to modeling. "Being a model there is always something they want to change. Whether they want someone a little bit skinnier, a little bit taller, a little bit prettier, but MTV want you to be yourself ... not censoring anything and not conforming to anything," she told Australia's Herald Sun.
4.) She has more than 60 tattoos on her body.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view. Of her many tattoos, she has "Just Love" written across her knuckles, cartoon characters like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Astro Boy, as well as Tank Girl, reported Vanity Fair.
5.) She's in a pretty serious relationship.
Rose is engaged to Phoebe Dahl, a clothing designer and the granddaughter of the children’s-book author Roald Dahl, according to Vanity Fair. Rose has Phoebe's name tattooed on her back inside a red heart.
6.) She wrote, produced and starred in a short film titled "Break Free." The five minute short film on gender identity went viral on social media and helped get Rose noticed by casting agents. Watch it here. (Note: Some parts are NSFW.) Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
A huge part of Netflix's "Orange Is the New Black" is main character Piper Chapman's romances.
We've seen her bounce from her fiance Larry Bloom (Jason Biggs) to partner in crime Alex Vause (Laura Prepon) and others have tried to get a piece of the action.
But, the woman who Piper Chapman is based on has her own unique pick for the on-screen version of her.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view."I am really hoping that Piper and Big Boo get together," Piper Kerman, who wrote the book which "OITNB" is based on, told People Magazine during OrangeCon, the big fan event held in New York City on Thursday.
"I am a huge Lea DeLaria fan," Kerman said. "I think that would be hot!"
Carrie "Big Boo" Black is an inmate on the show. While she can be a tough character, Big Boo can show a sympathetic side now and then.
Currently on the third season of "OITNB," Piper is relapsing with Alex, but a new inmate, Stella Carlin (Ruby Rose) may throw a wrench in that romance.
The third season of "Orange Is the New Black" is available now on Netflix.
Just a few short years ago, unknown British actress Emilia Clarke had just two filming credits on her résumé: walk-on roles in a soap opera and a made-for-TV movie.
At boarding school, she coxed, or steered, the boys' eight-rower boat. That is, until she steered the team down the wrong tunnel and got them disqualified at a Henley regatta.
A girlie-girl, she developed an early obsession with Audrey Hepburn in "My Fair Lady." She would often say, "I swear on Chanel," when she wanted to be taken seriously.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Warning: Massive spoilers ahead for the season five finale of "Game of Thrones"— do not read on if you are not caught up.
The epic season finale of “Game of Thrones” brought heaps of death, destruction, and nail-biting cliffhangers. Not to mention the brutally humiliating walk-of-shame that Cersei had to endure.
But the biggest upset came when Jon Snow was stabbed, over and over again by his Night’s Watch brothers, and left to die as the episode faded to black.
Jon was lured into a trap by his squire, Olly, and then stabbed repeatedly in the chest and stomach until he fell to his knees. The men committing mutiny kept repeating "For the Watch," believing they were saving the Night's Watch from Jon's decision to ally with the Wildlings. The final moment of the episode was a quiet zoom into Jon's unseeing eyes, as dark blood pooled into the snow around him.
But all is not lost. Book fans have many reasons to believe Jon is going to survive the attack.
This scene was towards the end of the most recent book installment, A Dance with Dragons. It was the last readers also saw of Jon Snow, and his fate has been one of the biggest burning questions since the book was published in 2011.
So it shouldn't be a big surprise that fans have taken to forums spending the last four years debating and optimistically gathering evidence that Jon will live on as our hero.
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The Importance of Warging
You may recall that each Stark child, even Jon, adopted a direwolf puppy back in season one. Since the direwolf is the sigil of the Stark House, this was very auspicious.
When Bran, the second youngest Stark brother, was crippled after being pushed from a tower, it seems to have awoken a power in him. In season four, we saw him receive guidance in “warging” — the ability to enter the mind of another animal or person, and control them.
This power, also known as “skinchanging” seems most directly connected to Bran’s direwolf. He can easily slip into the wolf’s body, and does so frequently.
So what does this have to do with Jon?
Readers believe that all the Starks are wargs, even if they haven’t tapped into their powers yet. This means that Jon may have the ability to warg into his direwolf, Ghost, and therefore technically survive an attack on his body.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Also, in both the show and the books, we were introduced to a famous Wildling with exceptional warging abilities. In the show, his name was Orell, but in the book is named Varamyr Sixskins.
In the fifth book, Varamyr is the point of view character for the prologue chapter. For any non-book readers, you should know that each book's prologue and epilogue introduce a character that is killed by the end of the chapter. More significantly, these chapters almost always include a major event or piece of vital information.
An example of this is the very first scene that shows three Night’s Watch brothers encountering the White Walkers for the first time. Show fans might recall that this was also used as the opening for the series. It set the stage for series’ fantasy elements, and also gave readers/watchers the inside knowledge that White Walkers exist, while many book characters remained ignorant of this fact.
Varamyr’s chapter is an in-depth look at how his powers have enabled him to survive thus far. He spends much of the time pondering his “second life” — the life he will live through either an animal or another human’s body after his primary body is dead. Varamyr also thinks about Jon, and directly references his direwolf, Ghost.
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This is the most concrete evidence that the prologue provides:
[Varamyr] had known what Snow was the moment he saw that great white direwolf stalking silent at his side. One skinchanger can always sense another. The gift was strong in Snow, but the youth was untaught, still fighting his nature when he should have gloried in it.
So Varamyr is featured in the introduction of the same book that Jon is stabbed in. The odds of that being a coincidence are rather low. It’s very likely that the author, George R.R. Martin, included this section to establish the precedent of people “living” after death through warging.
It is also significant that, in the books, the last word Jon said before falling unconscious was “Ghost.” He was clearly thinking about his direwolf in the midst of this trauma.
But even if Jon wargs into Ghost, what will happen to his body?
Resurrection and the Lord of Light
Melisandre, the fire priestess and shadowbinder that accompanies Stannis, is a self-proclaimed servant of the Lord of Light. She has made many claims about the power of blood magic, and her ability to “see” the future through fire.
Melisandre believes Stannis Baratheon is the prophesied hero, Azor Ahai. This is a legendary figure who is the Lord of Light’s champion, and will be reborn in order to fight a coming darkness.
The full text from the book reads:
There will come a day after a long summer when the stars bleed and the cold breath of darkness falls heavy on the world. In this dread hour a warrior shall draw from the fire a burning sword. And that sword shall be Lightbringer, the Red Sword of Heroes, and he who clasps it shall be Azor Ahai come again, and the darkness shall flee before him.
So Melisandre thinks Stannis is this savior, but there is evidence that she’s wrong. For a full explanation, watch this video.
The short of it is that Jon Snow is a strong Azor Ahai candidate, mostly due to signs that are present at his attack. The prophecy states that Azor Ahai is reborn amidst salt and smoke, and the book scene described Jon’s stab wounds as smoking, while the man stabbing him is crying salty, remorseful tears.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.This is also supported by a cryptic line in Melisandre’s point of view chapter in "A Dance With Dragons." She thinks to herself, “I pray for a glimpse of Azor Ahai, and R’hllor shows me only Snow.”
It can’t get a whole lot clearer than that. Though Melisandre doesn’t understand the full weight of what this means, and continues to believe that Stannis is Azor Ahai, many book readers see this as a screaming clue. If Jon Snow is Azor Ahai, it doesn’t follow that this attack would result in his permanent death — he has to be reborn to fulfill the prophecy.
In the finale episode, Melisandre actually abandons Stannis, and rides back to the Wall. Book readers take this as a another clear sign that she is involved in the aftermath of Jon's bloody ending in season five. Perhaps this was the showrunners' way of having her realize that Stannis is not Azor Ahai after all, and she has been led back to the Wall for her true purpose.
And Melisandre isn’t the only servant of the Lord of Light who dabbles in magic. In both the books and the show series, Beric Dondarion was introduced alongside a man known as Thoros of Myr, a red priest. Thoros uses a mysterious fire magic to resurrect Beric after he is killed in combat.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.So there’s a chance that if Jon Snow is supposed to be reborn as Azor Ahai, and we know it’s possible to resurrect the dead using fire magic. These two piece of information lead many to believe Jon will be brought back to life by Melisandre through some sort of fire magic ritual.
A concern with this resurrection is that Beric admits he is not the same man when he returns, as if the rebirth causes his spirit to fade. This is where the warging theory becomes important again, because if Jon can move his spirit into Ghost temporarily, then when Melisandre revives him there should be no loss of the-essence-of-Jon.
Another book quote that supports that Jon may warg into Ghost and then return to his body comes from the same Melisandre chapter noted above. She is looking into the flames, and sees a vision of Jon Snow. Melisandre watches, and notes that his figure changes: “Now he was a man, now a wolf, now a man again.”
Hints from George R.R. Martin
Another reason fans have faith Jon isn’t really dead comes from the author of the series’ himself. In 2011, just after "Dance" was released, George R.R. Martin was interviewed by Entertainment Weekly. The first question was, “So why did you kill Jon Snow?”
Martin simply replied, “Oh, you think he’s dead, do you?”
This coy answer seems to be a pretty clear way of dodging any definitive confirmation. If Jon were truly dead, and never coming back, why would it matter what the reader thought happened? This is a classic cliffhanger strategy, and Martin has done this before.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Amid the chaos of the iconic Red Wedding, Arya has a point of view chapter that concludes with her being smashed in the back of the head with an axe. The chapter ended abruptly there, leaving readers in a momentary lurch, thinking that Robb wasn’t the only Stark casualty of the massacre.
However, her chapters picked up again several pages later, revealing she had simply been knocked unconscious. Fool us once, George.
Another shock came when, through a different character’s perspective, readers were led to believe Davos Seaworth, Stannis’ advisor, had been killed. It is off-handedly mentioned he was caught, and executed for his allegiance to Stannis.
Low and behold, his point of view chapter appeared later in the book, assuring readers that his head was fully intact, and the rumor of his death was an intentional misdirection tactic. Fool us twice, George.
Lastly, Tyrion fans had quite the scare in one of his chapters as well, when he fell overboard from a ship, and into the watery realm of the Stone Men. His chapter ended with the cryptic line, “black water filled his lungs, and the dark closed in around him.”
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.The show actually mimicked this earlier in season five, when Jorah and Tyrion were attacked by Stone Men and the scene faded to black as Tyrion was dragged deep into the water. As the show revealed, similarly to the book, Tyrion was rescued and spared from any lasting damage.
You get the idea.
Book readers refuse to be tricked, once again, into thinking that a key character has died when their chapter ending is left unfinished. The last line in the chapter where Jon is stabbed says, “He never felt the fourth knife. Only the cold…”
The trailing off implies Jon falls unconscious. None of the following chapters are from the perspective of characters located at the Wall. This means we have no evidence of what happens beyond the attack, and Martin’s history of writing white-knuckle chapter endings is giving fans hope this is another false alarm.
An Unfinished Story
The last argument for Jon's survival comes from the simple desire for a completed character arc. Jon has been built up, especially in the recent season, as a growing leader who will have a great impact on the pending war against the White Walkers. Is it really his time to die?
Jon mercy-killed Mance, defying Stannis’ orders of having the Wildling leader burnt to death. Then, when faced with treason from Janos Slynt, Jon made the tough but fair call of executing him. He has also been focused on the bigger picture, and knows the Night’s Watch tumultuous history with the Wildlings is not as important as the pending war with the White Walkers.
There is also the issue of Jon's parentage. Though most fans firmly subscribe to the theory that he is not Ned Stark's son, but in fact his nephew and a secret Targaryen, this has yet to be revealed in either the show or the books. It's doubtful Jon would die before learning who is real parents were.
Despite the many clues we’ve picked apart, there is no way to precisely know Jon’s fate. The answer lies in the long-awaited sixth book, "The Winds of Winter," or the premiere of season six of “Game of Thrones.” Until next season, show watchers can finally join in the wild speculation alongside book readers.
Entertainment Weekly spoke with Kit Harington, the actor who plays Jon, about this brutal scene. Harington claims he is not returning to the show. He was told by the show writers: "Look, you’re gone, it’s done."
This may deter some fans from believing that Jon is still alive, but it's entirely possible that the show writers are keeping his fate a huge secret — even from the actors involved.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Warning: There are major spoilers ahead if you have not seen the "Game of Thrones" finale.
"Game of Thrones" just ended season five on a huge cliffhanger.
The hits just kept coming as character after character suffered a major blow, death, or was left to a fate uncertain.
However, the biggest surprise of the night came at the episode's very end when Jon Snow (Kit Harington) was caught off guard by his own men of the Night's Watch.
Snow was stabbed multiple times and left to bleed out on the snowy ground, and just like that, the episode faded to black.
The last we see of Snow on the series is very similar to how we last see him in the books.
