George R.R. Martin's Blog, page 187
June 19, 2011
In Nidzica
The convention has been a great time. Though on Friday night Ty and I both drank way too muich vodka, which made our visit to Marbork castle yesterday more of an ordeal than it was meant to be. The castle was very impressive, though I don't think Ty is going to remember any of it.
Today we take off for Poznan and the next stage of our Polish visit.
Something seems amiss with my computer at home. When I hook up to it, via the internet, it tells me that I haven't received any emails in three days, which I find extremely unlikely. SO if you have been trying to email me recently, I haven't gotten more message. Maybe Ty will be able to get it going later today.
Till then, this Live Journal seems my only contact with the outside world. (We did buy a Polish sim for our cellphone, but haven't been able to get that working either).
Today we take off for Poznan and the next stage of our Polish visit.
Something seems amiss with my computer at home. When I hook up to it, via the internet, it tells me that I haven't received any emails in three days, which I find extremely unlikely. SO if you have been trying to email me recently, I haven't gotten more message. Maybe Ty will be able to get it going later today.
Till then, this Live Journal seems my only contact with the outside world. (We did buy a Polish sim for our cellphone, but haven't been able to get that working either).
June 15, 2011
In Warsaw
I'm in Warsaw. Spent the morning doing interviews and a big press conference. Now I'm about to leave for a signing at the Traffic Club, whioh is actually a bookstore.
Getting here was somewhat of an ordeal. Our flight from Abluquerque to Chicago was an hour late, which resulted in us missing our connection, and the direct flight that would have gotten us into Poland yesetdray morning. Instead we had to cool our heels half a day in O'Hare and then go by way of London, with a change of planes in Heathrow. We got into Warsaw yesetrday evening instead, and had to go straight to a big HBO interview at a movie complex. There were several hundred fans there, an amazing turnout. Alas, I was too exhausted to sign books and had to go get some sleep... but I am about to make up for that at the Traffic Club.
Anyway, I'm fine (if tired) and glad to be here. (But my assistant Ty is sick as a dog. We're hoping he'll be better by tomorrow, when we leave Warsaw for the con in Ndiza).
Getting here was somewhat of an ordeal. Our flight from Abluquerque to Chicago was an hour late, which resulted in us missing our connection, and the direct flight that would have gotten us into Poland yesetdray morning. Instead we had to cool our heels half a day in O'Hare and then go by way of London, with a change of planes in Heathrow. We got into Warsaw yesetrday evening instead, and had to go straight to a big HBO interview at a movie complex. There were several hundred fans there, an amazing turnout. Alas, I was too exhausted to sign books and had to go get some sleep... but I am about to make up for that at the Traffic Club.
Anyway, I'm fine (if tired) and glad to be here. (But my assistant Ty is sick as a dog. We're hoping he'll be better by tomorrow, when we leave Warsaw for the con in Ndiza).
June 12, 2011
Casting and Climaxes
For all of you out there waiting for some casting hints... alas, it appears that Froggy will not be able to pluck his magic twanger here until next month.
Which is not to say that no one will be cast. In fact, half a dozen roles (some major, some minor) have already been cast -- that is to say, after watching dozens of audition tapes for every role, D&D have chosen the actors they want. That's the first step of the process (actually, it's the third or fourth step, if you go all the way back to the start, which begins with Nina Gold winnowing through hundreds of resumes and eight-by-ten glossies and speaking to dozens of agents. but it's the first step that involves me). The second step is submitting the choice to HBO for approval. Once the actor or actress is approved, the third and final step is negotiating the deal and getting a contract signed.
Needless to say, I can only unleash Froggy to torment you when all three steps have been completed. It would be pretty embarassing to announce a casting only to have to retract because we could not close the deal. That does not happen often, mind you... but it DOES happen. Every deal is unique and negotiations can often drag on. Every agent wants to get the best possible deal for his or her client, understandably.
As I write, well, we have sent five or six choices to HBO for approval, and I'm given to understand that all of them have been approved, so now we are in the throes of hammering out terms with each of those actors. I'd hoped that two or three of the deals would be set by now, so I could give you madmen a few hints (which you would then solve in twelve seconds, but that's beside the point)... but that hasn't happened.
And tomorrow morning I leave for Poland, and will not be posting here often, if at all. Some of our castings may firm up as early as next week, but I won't be around to hint at them, so expect HBO will announce the players on its own website... or perhaps through some of the TV journalists who have been following the show so faithfully. So watch the web pages and TV columns of HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, TIME, THE DAILY BEAST, AOL, etc for announcements about the second season. And Froggy will return when I do.
Speaking of my trip... maybe it is good that I am getting out of the country, with "Baelor" scheduled to air tonight. Those of you who have read the novel will have a good idea of what's happening this week, just from the title (but PLEASE don't discuss it here, unless you want your post deleted), but there are millions of viewers who have no idea and some of them may soon be turning up on my virtual doorstep with virtual pitchforks and torches.
It does give me pause to realize there are only two more episodes left in season one. Tonight and next week, and we are done. So many years of development to get to this point -- contracts and options, endless negotiations, writing, rewriting, re-rewriting, casting, shooting the pilot, waiting for pickup, more casting, location scouts, shooting the series, all the build-up and promotion and previews and trailers and teasers and then finally we are on the air, and WHAM, ten weeks and it is over. Those ten weeks have flashed by in a blur. We do have the second season, of course. We start filming in July, and the start date is rushing at us like a freight train... but it is going to feel odd not to have a new episode to watch, two Sundays from now.
Which is not to say that no one will be cast. In fact, half a dozen roles (some major, some minor) have already been cast -- that is to say, after watching dozens of audition tapes for every role, D&D have chosen the actors they want. That's the first step of the process (actually, it's the third or fourth step, if you go all the way back to the start, which begins with Nina Gold winnowing through hundreds of resumes and eight-by-ten glossies and speaking to dozens of agents. but it's the first step that involves me). The second step is submitting the choice to HBO for approval. Once the actor or actress is approved, the third and final step is negotiating the deal and getting a contract signed.
Needless to say, I can only unleash Froggy to torment you when all three steps have been completed. It would be pretty embarassing to announce a casting only to have to retract because we could not close the deal. That does not happen often, mind you... but it DOES happen. Every deal is unique and negotiations can often drag on. Every agent wants to get the best possible deal for his or her client, understandably.
As I write, well, we have sent five or six choices to HBO for approval, and I'm given to understand that all of them have been approved, so now we are in the throes of hammering out terms with each of those actors. I'd hoped that two or three of the deals would be set by now, so I could give you madmen a few hints (which you would then solve in twelve seconds, but that's beside the point)... but that hasn't happened.
And tomorrow morning I leave for Poland, and will not be posting here often, if at all. Some of our castings may firm up as early as next week, but I won't be around to hint at them, so expect HBO will announce the players on its own website... or perhaps through some of the TV journalists who have been following the show so faithfully. So watch the web pages and TV columns of HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, TIME, THE DAILY BEAST, AOL, etc for announcements about the second season. And Froggy will return when I do.
Speaking of my trip... maybe it is good that I am getting out of the country, with "Baelor" scheduled to air tonight. Those of you who have read the novel will have a good idea of what's happening this week, just from the title (but PLEASE don't discuss it here, unless you want your post deleted), but there are millions of viewers who have no idea and some of them may soon be turning up on my virtual doorstep with virtual pitchforks and torches.
It does give me pause to realize there are only two more episodes left in season one. Tonight and next week, and we are done. So many years of development to get to this point -- contracts and options, endless negotiations, writing, rewriting, re-rewriting, casting, shooting the pilot, waiting for pickup, more casting, location scouts, shooting the series, all the build-up and promotion and previews and trailers and teasers and then finally we are on the air, and WHAM, ten weeks and it is over. Those ten weeks have flashed by in a blur. We do have the second season, of course. We start filming in July, and the start date is rushing at us like a freight train... but it is going to feel odd not to have a new episode to watch, two Sundays from now.
June 11, 2011
Awards, Awards
It must be awards season.
First there was the nomination for the Critics Choice Award. Now I'm told that GAME OF THRONES has been nominated for the PORTAL AWARDS.
http://www.airlockalpha.com/node/8537/game-of-thrones-fringe-lead-2011-portal-awards.html
This award, I'm pleased to say, did not neglect our actors. My congratulations to Sean Bean, Lean Headey, Peter Dinklage, Maisie Williams, and Isaac Hempstead-Wright. And of course to David Benioff and D.B. Weiss.
Good luck, all.
First there was the nomination for the Critics Choice Award. Now I'm told that GAME OF THRONES has been nominated for the PORTAL AWARDS.
http://www.airlockalpha.com/node/8537/game-of-thrones-fringe-lead-2011-portal-awards.html
This award, I'm pleased to say, did not neglect our actors. My congratulations to Sean Bean, Lean Headey, Peter Dinklage, Maisie Williams, and Isaac Hempstead-Wright. And of course to David Benioff and D.B. Weiss.
Good luck, all.
The Iron Throne Tours Spain
Here's some cool news for the wildmen and lovely ladies of Asshai and all my other Spanish fans and readers -- the good folks at Canal +, who are broadcasting GAME OF THRONES in Spain -- are sending the Iron Throne on a promotional tour!
Their throne will be appearing in five cities: Bilbao, Barcelona, Valencia, Sevilla and Madrid.
Look closely, and you'll see that Canal's Iron Throne has a number of differences from HBO's Iron Throne, several versions of which are still turning up here and there throughout the US.
Their throne will be appearing in five cities: Bilbao, Barcelona, Valencia, Sevilla and Madrid.
Look closely, and you'll see that Canal's Iron Throne has a number of differences from HBO's Iron Throne, several versions of which are still turning up here and there throughout the US.
June 9, 2011
Signed Goodies for Joplin
The good folks at Metagames Unlimited are raising funds for the relief of the people of Joplin, Missouri, whose town was recently devastated by tornados.
I've donated some autographed goodies to the cause. The first of those items are now up on ebay, along with other cool donations, including some autographed items from Neil Gaiman.
Check out the offerings at:
http://stores.ebay.com/metagames
And bid early and often. It's for a good cause.
I've donated some autographed goodies to the cause. The first of those items are now up on ebay, along with other cool donations, including some autographed items from Neil Gaiman.
Check out the offerings at:
http://stores.ebay.com/metagames
And bid early and often. It's for a good cause.
June 8, 2011
Meet The Rook
For all you Wild Card fans waiting for the newest volume -- FORT FREAK, the twenty-first installment in our field's longest running shared world -- check out Tor.com, where they have just put up a sample from that volume: Melinda Snodgrass's story, "The Rook," introducing Francis Xavier Black, rookie cop, beginning his first tour at the infamous Jokertown precinct.
http://www.tor.com/stories/2011/06/the-rook
And if that's not enough to whet your appetite, there's also a sample from Cherie Priest's interstitial story, "Rat Race," available on my own website at:
http://www.georgerrmartin.com/wc-s.html
Check 'em out, and reserve your copy of FORT FREAK at your favorite local bookstore.
FORT FREAK will be published on June 21.
http://www.tor.com/stories/2011/06/the-rook
And if that's not enough to whet your appetite, there's also a sample from Cherie Priest's interstitial story, "Rat Race," available on my own website at:
http://www.georgerrmartin.com/wc-s.html
Check 'em out, and reserve your copy of FORT FREAK at your favorite local bookstore.
FORT FREAK will be published on June 21.
Good Stuff
GAME OF THRONES has been nominated in the Best Drama category of the new Critics Choice Awards. Check out the full list of nominees here:
http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/06/06/critics-choice-television-awards/
It's an impressive list of nominees. Congratulations to David and Dan and the cast and crew and support staff at HBO, all the great folks who worked so hard to make the show the success it seems to be. Great work, guys!
((And yes, I do wish some of our cast had gotten nominated as well. We have some amazing actors on GAME OF THRONES. Traditionally, though, fantasy and SF have always been overlooked in the acting categories. But maybe we'll do better in the Emmys and Golden Globes))
On other fronts... Sunday's episode, "The Pointy End," got the highest ratings of the season. The show is building. I suspect that this record will endure until... well, Sunday.
http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/06/06/critics-choice-television-awards/
It's an impressive list of nominees. Congratulations to David and Dan and the cast and crew and support staff at HBO, all the great folks who worked so hard to make the show the success it seems to be. Great work, guys!
((And yes, I do wish some of our cast had gotten nominated as well. We have some amazing actors on GAME OF THRONES. Traditionally, though, fantasy and SF have always been overlooked in the acting categories. But maybe we'll do better in the Emmys and Golden Globes))
On other fronts... Sunday's episode, "The Pointy End," got the highest ratings of the season. The show is building. I suspect that this record will endure until... well, Sunday.
June 5, 2011
The Pointy End
Yes, tonight is the episode I scripted for GAME OF THRONES -- episode eight, "The Pointy End."
(The first episode to have a title, FWIW. I argued strongly in favor of episode titles, rather than just numbers).
No, I haven't seen it yet. I'll be seeing it for the first time tonight, same as you folks.
Many of you will want to comment afterward, I know. Again, the best place for that discussion is not here. Head over to Winter Is Coming, to Westeros, to Tower of the Hand, to Television Without Pity, to the HBO boards.
In a series like this, scenes sometimes get moved from episode to episode, so not everything you'll see tonight will be mine(except in the sense that is all based on my books, of course). F'rinstance, the bit in the previews, with Tyrion and Bronn in the Mountains of the Moon, that was originally meant to be in episode seven, and was moved into "The Pointy End" during editing. So that scene, and the encounter with the clansmen, was written by David and Dan.
Kind of fitting that "The Pointy End" airs even as I am working on my season two script, "Blackwater." A much tougher assignment, by the way. All those damned boats...
(The first episode to have a title, FWIW. I argued strongly in favor of episode titles, rather than just numbers).
No, I haven't seen it yet. I'll be seeing it for the first time tonight, same as you folks.
Many of you will want to comment afterward, I know. Again, the best place for that discussion is not here. Head over to Winter Is Coming, to Westeros, to Tower of the Hand, to Television Without Pity, to the HBO boards.
In a series like this, scenes sometimes get moved from episode to episode, so not everything you'll see tonight will be mine(except in the sense that is all based on my books, of course). F'rinstance, the bit in the previews, with Tyrion and Bronn in the Mountains of the Moon, that was originally meant to be in episode seven, and was moved into "The Pointy End" during editing. So that scene, and the encounter with the clansmen, was written by David and Dan.
Kind of fitting that "The Pointy End" airs even as I am working on my season two script, "Blackwater." A much tougher assignment, by the way. All those damned boats...
June 4, 2011
Signing in Albuquerque
Just a reminder for the New Mexicans out there (and any Arizonans, Coloradons, and Texans who don't mind driving a few hours ) -- I'll be at Hastings Books in Albuquerque tomorrow afternoon, signing copies of my new DOORWAYS graphic novel from IDW and whatever other works of mine the store happens to have on hand.
The signing starts at 1:00 pm at
HASTINGS BOOKS
6051 WINTER HAVEN ROAD, NW
ALBUQUERQUE
(505) 898-9227
(505) 898-5019
See you there!
The signing starts at 1:00 pm at
HASTINGS BOOKS
6051 WINTER HAVEN ROAD, NW
ALBUQUERQUE
(505) 898-9227
(505) 898-5019
See you there!
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