It is widely known  that George RR Martin’s A Song of Ice & Fire book series is loosely based on historical actors and events of England’s Wars of the Roses (a series of dynastic wars fought between two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: the houses of Lancaster and York—sound familiar?).  The extent to which specific characters or plot lines are actually derived from this period is debatable, and perhaps better saved for a later article, but one likeness in particular is difficult to ignore. Perhaps it was just a casting coincidence but it’s noteworthy that...

Just when we thought James Gandolfini was free to move on HBO pulls him and his show CRIMINAL JUSTICE back in. Yeah, you read that right. We reported in a post in February that  HBO had passed  on the show. Now it appears it is a go and that is good news for everybody. There is one small catch though and that is  that CRIMINAL JUSTICE will be a limited series. But first, if you need to refresh your mind on what this potential series was about, we need to make available this HBOWatch link.  Now that we remember the project we need to ask how could HBO let this go then bring it back....

The internet is afire with Ros. There seems to be no grey area for her. People either loved her or hated her. There are some that hated her and then loved her. I figured I would just jump on this bandwagon and throw in my couple of silver stags. Let us first explore what I see as the central recurring theme that has arisen from Ros’ death. Misogyny – noun – hatred, dislike, or mistrust of women. That word gets thrown around a lot but do people really know what they are saying when they say Ros’ murder was misogynistic? Of course it was but let’s be real. Her role in life...

Since its debut in 2012, Girls has become of the most critically acclaimed and buzzed about shows on television. TV Guide hails the series as “fearlessly raw,” the Los Angeles Times proclaims it “excruciatingly funny” and the New York Times calls it “a phenomenon.” Created by and starring Lena Dunham, who also executive produced along with Emmy® winner Judd Apatow and Jenni Konner, Girls was the winner of two 2012 Golden Globe Awards for Best Television Series-Musical or Comedy and Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series-Musical or...

It’s New Year’s Eve 1922 and the Roaring ’20s are about to begin in earnest. Despite a booming economy, alcohol is scarce in Atlantic City, competition is at its fiercest and gangster violence is heating up. The 12-time Emmy® Award winning Boardwalk Empire is back on August 20, 2013 when the third season debuts on Blu-ray with HBO Select* ($79.98), DVD ($59.99) and Digital Download. Hailed as “striking,” (Time.com) with “first-rate performances” (USA Today), Boardwalk Empire: The Complete Third Season is jam-packed with exclusive bonus...

Australian actress Nicole Kidman has a project entitled RECONSTRUCTING AMELIA that she wants to develop for HBO.  She will star in and produce an adaptation of a Kimberly McCreight novel of the same name. The book was just published in April from Harper-Collins to rave reviews and evidently caught the attention of Kidman. One of the simple descriptions of the plot states that “a workaholic single mother (assumedly Kidman) who, after her teenage daughter’s apparent suicide at her tony Brooklyn private school, attempts to reconstruct the events leading up to the girl’s death and learns...

It didn’t feel the way I thought it would. I’ve never seen the life truly fade from someone’s eyes, the fear being replaced by… nothing. I thought there would be some amusement in it, but I find myself twisting in indecision. I’ve always enjoyed exercising my power. But this feels like it was too much, like a child who over indulged sweets. That’s why my mother wanted to stop me from taking the head of the traitor Ned Stark. She feared I was over indulging, but I haven’t. And I have no intention to stop because I don’t feel sick. Did she really...

Overview: Episode 06 offers two segments. ViceonHBO.com gives us the following description for each. CHINA’S GHOST TOWNS – Fifteen years ago, China changed its policy so people could buy their own homes. Real-estate investments boomed, and new cities began popping up each year, many inspired by western design and mimicking iconic locales like Paris and lower Manhattan. The problem is: people don’t live here. One ghost city in Inner Mongolia, built to house one million people, is now an empty shell of unoccupied skyscrapers and abandoned construction sites. VICE checks out this and...

This is just a reminder that the HBO Comedy Series: FAMILY TREE premieres Sunday, May 12 at 10:30pm ET. And to get you prepared for the show we have a few T-n-Ts to share starting with an EXCLUSIVE.  An extended trailer has been provided to HBOWatch courtesy of the gracious PR company promoting this new series.  Here it is: HBO has posted an “Invitation to the Set” piece we will also share. Together these two videos should give those interested a good sense of what talent and humor can be found in FAMILY TREE which is a single-camera, documentary-style show in the manner of the...

In the game of music, you win or you fade into obscurity. Karliene Reynolds stands out among other fan composers with a soft voice, simple lyrics and the gentle melodies she sings, inspired by Game of Thrones. Not content with only the theme music, this fan and artist sings other songs from the show as well. Karliene didn’t start off as a fan of the books, but rather jumped in with the show. “The story really drove straight to my core and filled me with passion and inspiration,” she says. “I don’t think I’d been hit this hard by an obsession since Lord of the Rings.” Her...

This writer is back with quite a bit of development news from the HBO front. I have enough information actually to warrant two separate posts. These topics range from the greenlighting of new productions and signing on of staff and casts to works we have already mentioned. I must admit it is fun wading through all the potential projects that HBO is either pondering and/or actually committing to film. Let’s see if you like any of the works reported here.    Ryan Murphy’s OPEN goes to Pilot Ryan Murphy, the creator of Glee for Fox and American Horror Story for FX is about to share...

Editor’s Note:  The Dark Tower has been rumored as an HBO series for a couple of years now.  There is no confirmation of the series actually heading to HBO and in fact, the glass looks murky at best.  We’ll report the latest as we get it news-wise but until then enjoy speculating with us below! Series spoilers abound. If you have yet to read the books I’d recommend starting now. Thankee, Sai. Stephen King’s Dark Tower series is an epic work with little literary precedent. The combination of fantasy, science fiction, pop culture, and meta-textual aspects place it...

Welcome to the fourth and final installment of Houses of Westeros. Previously, we have explored the North, the Riverlands, the Vale and the Iron Islands, and the Westerlands, Crownlands and the Reach. With this piece, we will delve into the southernmost landscapes of Westeros, The Stormlands and Dorne. House Baratheon Words: “Ours is the Fury” Seat: Storm’s End Title: Lord of Storm’s End, Lord Paramount of the Stormlands House Baratheon is one of the Great Houses of Westeros, ruling over the Stormlands from their seat at Storm’s End. Although recognized as a great and powerful...