Connect with us

Published

on

Author George RR Martin has criticised the second series of House Of The Dragon, saying he “argued against” a plot change because it now creates a “butterfly effect” for future episodes.

The writer, who is co-creator and an executive producer on the show, warned in a since-deleted blog post “there are larger and more toxic butterflies to come”.

Martin had previously said he would share “everything that’s gone wrong” with the adaptation of HBO’s House Of The Dragon, which is partly based on his book Fire & Blood and is the prequel to the hit series, Game Of Thrones.

In the lengthy blog post, he described a disagreement about removing a character, Prince Maelor, from the plot – insisting it has larger repercussions for series three and four.

He said: “The prince’s birth was no longer just going to be pushed back to series three. He was never going to be born at all. The younger son of Aegon and Helaena would never appear.”

Phia Saban poses for photographers upon arrival at the season two premiere of the television series 'House of the Dragon' in London, Monday, Jun 10, 2024. (Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)
Image:
Actress Phia Saban, who plays Helaena Targaryen, appeared at the series two premiere of House Of The Dragon in London in June. Pic: AP

Martin said there were practical reasons against casting another child, including the cost.

But he said showrunner Ryan Condal previously “assured me that we were not losing Prince Maelor, simply postponing him” after the author had initially “argued against” dropping the character from the second series.

In a statement reported by showbiz news website Deadline, HBO defended Mr Condal: “Commonly, when adapting a book for the screen, with its own format and limitations, the showrunner ultimately is required to make difficult choices about the characters and stories the audience will follow.

“We believe that Ryan Condal and his team have done an extraordinary job and the millions of fans the series has amassed over the first two series will continue to enjoy it.”

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

‘You’re only as good as your last episode’

Martin went on to compare the HBO series with Fire & Blood, which the show is based on.

He said his book features Aegon and Helaena Targaryen – played by Tom Glynn-Carney and Phia Saban, respectively – who have twins Jaehaera and Jaehaerys along with a younger son, Maelor.

But he said in the show the couple only have the twins.

He said: “Maelor is a two-year-old toddler in Fire & Blood, but like our butterfly he has an impact on the story all out of proportion to his size.”

He argued the changes “may make sense in terms of budgets and shooting schedules. But simpler is not better”.

Read more from Sky News:
Jeremy Kyle appears at inquest into death of show guest
Scottish minister queued online for Oasis tickets during meeting

On a recent episode of HBO’s official House Of The Dragon podcast, Mr Condal explained “we had to make some compromises in rendering the story” when it came to eliminating the Maelor character.

“It did have a ripple effect, and we decided that we were going to lean into it and try to make it a strength, instead of playing it as a weakness.”

Meanwhile, George RR Martin’s blog post also described how the original story in his book progresses [we are avoiding any spoilers], speculates on the show’s character and plot development, and finally ends on a cryptic note.

“There are larger and more toxic butterflies to come, if HOUSE OF THE DRAGON goes ahead with some of the changes being contemplated for series three and four,” he said.

Continue Reading

Entertainment

Whose Line Is It Anyway? star Tony Slattery dies of heart attack aged 65

Published

on

By

Whose Line Is It Anyway? star Tony Slattery dies of heart attack aged 65

Comedian and actor Tony Slattery has died aged 65 following a heart attack, his partner has said.

The actor was famous for appearing on the Channel 4 comedy improvisation show Whose Line Is It Anyway? and comedy shows like Just A Minute and Have I Got News For You.

A statement made on behalf of his partner Mark Michael Hutchinson said: “It is with great sadness we must announce actor and comedian Tony Slattery, aged 65, has passed away today, Tuesday morning, following a heart attack on Sunday evening.”

Born in 1959, Slattery went to the University of Cambridge alongside contemporaries Dame Emma Thompson, Sir Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie.

While there he served as president of the legendary Cambridge Footlights improvisation group.

Read more from Sky News:
Disney being sued for billions over Moana claims
Meghan delays release of series due to LA fires

Slattery spoke regularly about his bipolar disorder and in 2020 revealed that he went bankrupt following a battle with substance abuse and mental health issues.

More from Ents & Arts

He told the Radio Times that his “fiscal illiteracy and general innumeracy” as well as his “misplaced trust in people” had also contributed to his money problems.

He released a BBC documentary called What’s The Matter With Tony Slattery? in the same year, which saw him and Hutchinson visit leading experts on mood disorders and addiction.

Continue Reading

Entertainment

Paris Hilton, Beyonce and other stars donate and help out those affected by LA fires

Published

on

By

Paris Hilton, Beyonce and other stars donate and help out those affected by LA fires

Stars including Beyonce, Eva Longoria and Jamie Lee Curtis have pledged funds to support families affected by the fires in Los Angeles – along with Paris Hilton, who is among those who have lost their homes.

The blazes which erupted in the Pacific Palisades and other areas of the county last week have destroyed thousands of properties and killed at least 24 people.

US reality star and businesswoman Hilton has launched an emergency fund to support families who have been displaced, and kickstarted it with a personal donation of $100,000 dollars (£82,000).

The 43-year-old, who watched her home in Malibu “burn to the ground” as the fires were covered on TV, has also been spending time with animal organisations. She announced on social media that she is fostering a dog whose owners lost their home.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Paris Hilton posts video of destroyed home

“While I’ve lost my Malibu home, my thoughts are with the countless families who have lost so much more – their homes, cherished keepsakes, the communities they loved, and their sense of stability,” Hilton said in a statement on social media.

Beyonce contributed $2.5m to a newly launched LA Fire Relief Fund, created by her charitable foundation, BeyGOOD.

“The fund is earmarked to aid families in the Altadena/Pasadena area who lost their homes, and to churches and community centres to address the immediate needs of those affected by the wildfires,” the organisation said in a statement.

A helicopter drops water while fighting the Auto Fire in Ventura County, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Image:
Pic: AP/Noah Berger

Beyonce’s mother Tina Knowles lost her bungalow in Malibu in the fires.

“It was my favourite place, my sanctuary, my sacred happy place,” she wrote on Instagram. “Now it is gone. God Bless all the brave men and women in our fire department who risked their lives in dangerous conditions.”

Other celebrities who have donated funds include Desperate Housewives star Longoria and her foundation, the Screen Actors Guild, the Recording Academy, which runs the Grammys, and Oscar-winning actress Jamie Lee Curtis and her family – who have all pledged $1m (£819,000) each.

Prince Harry and Meghan are believed to have donated clothing, children’s items and other essential supplies, and were seen making a surprise visit to hand out food to evacuees in Pasadena.

Read more:
Oscar nominations and other events delayed or cancelled
The winds that fuelled fires are back – here’s what it could mean

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Volunteering in Pasadena on 11/01/25
Image:
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan supported residents in Pasadena

Actors Mel Gibson, Miles Teller, Jeff Bridges, Billy Crystal, Jamie Chung and Bryan Greenberg are also among the Hollywood stars confirmed to have lost homes, along with talk show host Ricki Lake, and reality stars Spencer and Heidi Pratt.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Ricki Lake shared on Instagram the moment flames got to her property in Malibu

The fires, which are burning around Los Angeles, come at the start of Hollywood’s awards season.

Organisers of the Oscars have postponed the nominations announcement twice, with the shortlists currently set to be revealed on 23 January, and the event’s annual luncheon ahead of the ceremony has been cancelled.

The show itself is still set to go ahead on 2 March. The Grammys, scheduled for 2 February, is also reportedly still set to go ahead.

Continue Reading

Entertainment

Actors who sheltered in Ukraine’s Mariupol theatre bring story of bombing to the stage

Published

on

By

Actors who sheltered in Ukraine's Mariupol theatre bring story of bombing to the stage

The Donetsk theatre in the city of Mariupol was supposed to be a place of safety for hundreds of civilians sheltering during the first few weeks of Russia’s invasion in Ukraine. A sign bearing the word “children” was marked on the ground outside, visible from the air.

On 16 March 2022, the building was bombed. Authorities at the time said about 300 people had died, although some estimates were higher.

The stories of survivors are now being recounted by actors who were among those sheltering in the theatre at the time. Mariupol Drama, a play which opens in the UK this week, features real video footage captured on their phones, and personal items saved from the rubble.

A warning that children were sheltering inside the theatre was visible from space. Pic: Maxar Technologies
Image:
A warning that children were sheltering inside the theatre was visible from the skies. Pic: Maxar Technologies

Olena Bila and her partner Ihor Kytrysh, who have acted at the theatre since 2003, managed to escape the devastation with their son, Matvii.

“This is a story with a lot of memories from a previous life,” Olena tells Sky News from Ukraine, speaking through a translator. “We worked and lived in Mariupol and did what we loved. In a few days, we lost everything.”

The family also lost their home. Olena says she hopes the play shows that material possessions are not what’s important.

“We lost the material side of our lives. We want to show for everybody that all items around you, the material side of your life, doesn’t matter… it’s your mind, it’s your soul, it’s your heart [that does].”

More on Mariupol

Mariupol Theatre 
no Credit needed
Image:
The theatre was bombed in March 2022

The couple also hope the production will remind people, almost three years on from the start of Russia’s invasion, that the war is still ongoing.

“We are still at war,” Olena says. “It’s our stories, real stories. Not Hollywood fiction, but a story of real people in Ukraine.

“It’s very hard to see that this war is still continuing. We still have no room for our plans for the future.”

After the start of Russia’s invasion in February 2022, the theatre, in the city’s Tsentralnyi district, became a hub for the distribution of medicine, food and water, and a designated gathering point for people hoping to be evacuated from Mariupol via humanitarian corridors.

Personal items saved from the theatre in Mariupol, Ukraine, which was bombed by Russia in 2022, are used on stage in the play, Mariupol Drama. Pic: Tiberi Shiutiv
Image:
Personal items saved from the theatre are used on stage in the play. Pic: Tiberi Shiutiv

The building was attacked after weeks of Russian fire on Mariupol.

Vira Lebedynska, the theatre’s head of music and drama, is also one of the performers in Mariupol Drama. When the bombs hit, she was sheltering in an underground room used for music recording which remained mostly untouched, she says.

It saved her.

Russia denied bombing the building deliberately. Following their own investigation, Amnesty International described the attack as a war crime.

British actor David MacCreedy heard about Mariupol Drama and met the actors during an aid trip to Ukraine and says he was struck “by just how powerful it was”. He has been instrumental in bringing the story to the UK.

“It needed to be seen here,” he says.

The play’s actors want to show that despite the destruction of the building, Mariupol’s theatre is still alive.

“Our theatre is fighting,” says Olena.”It is restored not to cry, but to fight.”

Mariupol Drama is on at the Home performing arts centre in Manchester from today until Saturday.

Continue Reading

Trending