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George R.R. Martin on 'Conan,' talks 'Game of Thrones' Red Wedding
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George R.R. Martin was on "Conan" last night, and explained..."I always like the suspense to be real...I want my viewers and readers to be afraid when my characters are in danger...' This is actually amusing - notably, the discussion about actors who beg not to die...
OK, take a look...
'Inside the Actors Studio' turns 250 (episodes) Wednesday
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After 19 years -- 19! -- "Inside the Actors Studio" and its redoubtable ringmaster James Lipton will celebrate 250 episodes Wednesday night with a two-hour special that'll feature the reclusive Dave Chappelle -- a Lipton pal -- and others not so reclusive.
"Studio," if you are not aware, but almost certainly are, is an iconic cable series that reaches back to the very earliest days of Bravo -- long before "Real Housewives" and Tabitha and so on. Lipton, a trained actor and dean emeritus of Pace's Actors Studio Drama School, got to this benchmark by running a smart show, being extremely well-informed, non-judgmental and always always curious. The result was at times more of a shrink's couch than an interview show because Lipton asked the right questions and secured responses that weren't the usual spin or balderdash.
It's been quite a run indeed, and a mere lad of 86, Lipton has had an interesting run too.
Here's a clip (below) but per Bravo, the 7 p.m. series will feature "new interviews with former guests including Actors Studio alumnus Bradley Cooper, Robert DeNiro, Jennifer Lopez, Christopher Walken, Barbara Walters, Dave Chappelle, Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien, Ellen Burstyn and Spike Lee..."
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TV reacts to the Boston marathon bombing
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Entertainment television, or at least some of the live-to-tape portion that took place after 3 p.m. Monday, took a brief hiatus from entertaining, or brief enough to acknowledge what had just taken place in Boston. Jimmy Kimmel called the attacks "disgusting" (Jay Leno, Jimmy Fallon, and David Letterman were in repeats) while Tom Bergeron opened a live "Dancing with the Stars" with a cold open, saying: "Before we begin the show, we just want to take a moment: Our thoughts are with everyone in Boston, I have family members and many friends there. Our hearts are with you . . ." He later told "Extra" this: “It was the hardest show I have ever done,” he said of going to work on Monday. His daughter and wife were both in the city when the blasts went off near the Boston Marathon finish line. “[My wife] was the one that texted me first to let me know what was going on,” he said. “She was in lockdown in a hotel… I worked in Boston for years, I know how valuable that marathon is, that last mile was dedicated to the families if Newtown. I'm feeling a mixture of grief, relief that my family's fine.” And Craig Ferguson had this, followed by Ellen DeGeneres' brief acknowledgment: Conan O'Brien - a Boston native - of course addressed this last night: "Like eveyrbody here, my thoughts and prayers are with the people of Boston...
Conan in Atlanta: Clip
Conan O'Brien, a late night talk show host, is in Atlanta - a large southern city in the state of Georgia - this evening. He is a host,. He has a show. A clip, but first a few jokes from his monologue (and he will be in Atlanta - a very nice city by the way - all week, and he's funny too):
It’s an honor to be here. Let me tell you how I came to be with you tonight. My bosses at...
Read more »TBS extends Conan through...
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Conan O'Brien - his show originating from Atlanta this week for the Final Four (didn't know he covered sports, didya?) - got some reasonably good news today: He will remain employed. TBS handed him a new deal that'll keep the show on through 2015...
Michael Wright, prez of TBS, TNT and TCM programming, said via release:: "Conan and his colleagues at Team Coco have gone far beyond that by making CONAN the top late-night brand in the digital arena. We are proud to extend our relationship with Conan as he continues to forge the future of late night. I just wish we didn’t decide to tell him on April Fools' Day."
Why is NBC messing with Jay Leno? Theory 1: Fox
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Why is NBC pushing aside Jay Leno for Jimmy Fallon? You may have read my first post on this (see below) which comes under the broad heading of "late night host envy." But there are clearly other reasons why NBC is about to drop kick Jay once again — compelling, intriguing ones, and in a series of posts, I'll get into those right now. Caveat emptor: These are born of nothing but hunch and...
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