Game of Thrones went down in history as both the best and worst show of all time depending on who you ask. Season after season the show further cemented itself as the gold standard of what a TV show should be, improving never weakening. That is, until the final six-episode season that left plenty of diehard fans going “Huh?”
These fans were so deeply disappointed (full disclosure: I wasn’t one of them) you barely hear a peep about the show three years after it ended. I don’t even see GOT memes or GIFs. It’s like the collective fanbase simply wants to forget the entire show ever happened.
Enter the prequel series House of the Dragon. Plenty went into this show with trepidations as to whether or not it was just milking a concept that fizzled out years ago. When it debuted last week, it put all of those fears to rest in a single hour of gripping, beautiful entertainment.
Immediately, the opening narration grabs hold and refuse to let go. We are thrust back into the world of throne politics and Shakespearean drama. Everything you love about GOT is in this show – violence, intrigue, the vast web of conspiracy, family drama, and yes, sex. There’s even a birthing scene that I will never forget, though I would give anything to be able to.
In this first episode, we are introduced to a large cast of characters (less than GOT’s first episode but still a lot) who we quickly get a rounded view of. We know who’s who and where they stand in short order. This is the mark of a great first episode. I am not confused. I know the goals of each and what they’re willing to do to reach those goals.
That said, there’s a lot of room left for twists and turns. The episode started with things pretty much in neat order, which of course couldn’t last, and then ends with a proper springboard into a season that I’m sure will be full of surprises.
I really enjoyed House of the Dragon (are we calling it HOD yet?) and can’t wait to see what the rest of the season has in store for us.
The LEGO Harry Potter modular style sets have been very popular since they were first introduced. Not only are they great for playing with but their modular nature lets you mix and match to create many unique combinations that fit very well on shallow display shelves. But with so many sets stacked on top of each other, Hogwarts students had a hard time moving between the floors. Well no longer. With the introduction of LEGO Harry Potter40577: Hogwarts Grand Staircase gift with purchase, collectors, and fans will be able to give their Minifigs access to the second or even third floors in their scenes with a bit of creative stacking. Hogwarts Grand Staircase comes with 223 pieces and will be available from July 15th – July 31st with a qualifying purchase of $130 / €130 / £130 threshold, on Harry Potter.
The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.
Unboxing the parts, instructions, and sticker sheets
The front of the vertical tab-sealed box features the finished model as well as the Harry Potter and Wizarding World branding elements. The lower right corner includes a composite image of Harry, Ron, and Hermione along with magical swirls from Harry’s wand. In the lower-left corner is an inset image of the Hermione Minifig that is included in the set.
On the back of the box, the model is shown again, this time demonstrating the play feature of the rotating staircase, as well as an image of the swap-able panels for the arches, one of which is the famous “fat lady” who guards the entrance to the Gryffindor common room.
Inside the box are three numbered bags, 2 loose plates, an instruction booklet in the new style with white bars across the top and bottom with faint line drawings of LEGO elements that matches the new paper packaging that LEGO has announced (the bags were all still clear plastic.
There was also a loose sticker sheet for the portraits which was pretty banged up and had to spend the night pressed into a heavy book to flatten it out.
The build
The build is pretty uneventful, starting out with two arches and some bricks. One thing of interest is the two sets of technic bricks and pins that allow the finished model to attach to a combination of the previously released modular sets on either side, preferably to one with two levels.
As the build progresses, we get some sideways-facing stud bricks where separate portraits will be placed later, and a few portrait stickers placed on large panel bricks. We also get a floor tiled in dark gray stones and a turntable base which will provide the primary play function of the rotating staircase.
Once we finish the second level, with more studs not on top bricks and more stickered panels, we get an interesting little detail along the tops of the two walls. This portion of the build ends with arched panels with stickers that fit into 2 of the four archways. The rest of the portrait stickers attach to 2×3 tiles and pointed tiles.
The final detail is the staircase, built on top of an octagon plate using 1×4 tiles with railing to cover up the gaps in the structural stair element. The handrails are appropriately ornate and attached via clips at the bottom. They lean against a slope at the base. With the use of a plate instead of a 4×4 round brick, the staircase spins freely on the base.
The Minifigs
The set includes one Minifig, Hermione, and she includes a pair of connected wands and a black skirt element. She has front and back printing for her torso as well as her legs which are printed on all sides with a gray band to represent her socks. Her head has two expressions, her knowing smirk, and a slightly nervous expression for when she is about to get the results from her recent exam.
The finished model
The finished model is great and full of details. The rotating staircase is a fun feature and the set can be added to any of the other Harry Potter modular sets released in the last few years. My son let me borrow a few of his for this review.
There were a few minor issues I had but these in no way detract from my overall opinion of the set. My first issue is with the turntable base, since it swings freely instead of clicking into place as it is rotating, it is easily jostled, which combined with my second issue means that any Minifig placed on the staircase is likely to take a tumble since the use of the tile with rail for the risers means that there is no way to arrach Minifigs to the steps. The second is easily fixable if you don’t mind gaps in the stairs by switching the parts with an assortment of plates and tiles. The first issue could be solved by swapping the plate for a 4×4 round brick but would require a significant change in the design.
Conclusions and recommendations
Despite a few design flaws stated earlier, I think this is a pretty neat set and would make a great addition to any Hogwarts scene. The amount of stickers means you could get a few and build your very own larger grand staircase if you were so inclined, and I know a few LEGO Harry Potter fans who might do just that. LEGO Harry Potter 40577: Hogwarts Grand Staircase comes with 223 pieces and will be available from July 15th – July 31st with a qualifying purchase of $130 / €130 / £130 On Harry Potter™
The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.
Well-known Telugu screenwriter and Rajya Sabha member Vijayendra Prasad, who has worked on major Blockbusters like Baahubali, RRR and Bajrangi Bhaijaan, has said that work on his upcoming projects on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) will begin soon. Vijayendra Prasad, who is the father of filmmaker SS Rajamouli, said that he is going to helm both a film and a web series glorifying the RSS. Speaking at a book launch event of RSS National Executive Member Ram Madhav in Vijayawada on Tuesday, August 16, Vijayendra Prasad heaped praise on the RSS, and said that his formerly negative opinion of the organisation had changed since he was roped in to write a film on it.
It was first reported in 2018 that Vijayendra Prasad would be writing a film on RSS and people associated with it including KB Hedgewar, MS Golwalkar, Veer Savarkar, KS Sudharshan, Mohan Bhagwat and others. Vijayendra Prasad was invited as the chief guest at the launch of Ram Madhav’s book ‘Partitioned Freedom’ held at KVSR Siddhartha Pharmaceutical Science College Vijayawada, according to Sakshi.
Speaking at the event, he said, “I would like to confess something in front of you all. Until three or four years ago, I didn’t know much about the RSS. Like many others, I believed that they killed Gandhi. But four years ago, they asked me to write a film on RSS. As I was being paid for it, I went to Nagpur and met Mohan Bhagwat. I stayed there for a day and understood for the first time what RSS is. I felt a lot of remorse, that I wasn’t aware of such a great organisation for so long.” He went on to say, “If RSS wasn’t there, there would be no Kashmir, it would’ve merged with Pakistan. Lakhs of Hindus would have died due to Pakistan.”
He said he wrote the story within two months, and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat was happy with it. “I would like to announce some good news, that I am going to begin work on it soon. I am making a film and a web series on RSS,” Vijayendra Prasad announced. He added, “RSS has made one mistake, which is to not speak of itself to the public. I will make up for this shortcoming as much as I can. I promise I will ensure we can all boast about the greatness of RSS with pride.”
In a recent interview with Mid-Day, Vijayendra Prasad said that he would be directing the film, titled Bhagwa Dhwaj. He said that the compelling story of the RSS made him return to direction, and that casting was yet to begin for the film.
When news of the project first surfaced, The New Indian Express had reported that Akshay Kumar was likely to star in the film, and that it was likely to have a budget of Rs 100 crore with funding from a member of Karnataka BJP. Eighty-year-old Vijayendra Prasad was named as one of the Presidential nominees to the Rajya Sabha earlier in July. The official nomination statement read, “He has been instrumental in instilling cultural pride and nationalistic spirit through cinema.”
HBO Max will lose all eight of the Harry Potter movies at the end of August.
From August 31, the original octet will leave the streaming service, marking the second time in three years that the adventures of the boy wizard have left the platform.
For those in the US, the only place to stream the movies for the foreseeable future will be on Peacock, which began streaming all eight films at the start of July. The Fantastic Beasts movies, however, will remain on HBO Max, as will the cast reunion that aired at the start of 2022.
When HBO Max first launched in May 2020, it boasted the full Harry Potter collection, but only for a few months, with Peacock snaring exclusive rights later that year. HBO Max secured the movies once again in September 2021, but only for a year, and now they’re flying back to Peacock.
While the Harry Potter series and its larger universe were made by Warner Bros. – the parent company of HBO Max – the origins of this deal date back to 2016, when NBCUniversal struck an exclusive agreement with Warner Bros. Domestic TV Distribution for US broadcast and cable rights to the whole Wizarding World franchise, which runs until 2025. The deal was reported to be worth a colossal $250 million.
The move comes at a crunch time for the franchise. 2022’s latest instalment, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, grossed just over $405 million worldwide to become the lowest-grossing film in the Wizarding World franchise. Despite plans being in place for a further two movies based in the series, Warner Bros. executives have been tight-lipped about its future.
While it’s easy to see that Warner Bros. executives may be done with Fantastic Beasts, the studio’s commitment to the Wizarding World remains strong.
In fact, over the weekend, reports emerged in Deadline (opens in new tab) claiming that David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery (who has been overseeing a brutal regime of cost-cutting that has seen the likes of The Time Traveler’s Wife and period drama Gentleman Jack canceled), met with Potter author J. K. Rowling. That meeting, it is suggested, was about a Harry Potter TV spin-off.
Reports on a Potter TV show have been bouncing around for a couple of years now, but there’s been no details on what kind of story could be told. Rowling retains a huge amount of creative control over the franchise, and Warner Bros. can’t do anything without her sign-off.
There are always rumors about the possibility of adapting Rowling and Jack Thorne’s hugely successful stage play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, for the screen, and it might be easier to adapt something that’s already proven successful than create a whole new spin-off. But who knows what Rowling and Zaslav have cooked up? Whatever happens, we’re sure there’s a lot more to come from the Wizarding World.
Johnny Depp only starred in a handful of scenes in the Harry Potter spin-off franchise, Fantastic Beasts, but he was a large part of it. The actor played the series’ antagonist, Gellert Grindelwald, in The Crimes of Grindelwald. But, after his intense performance as the genocidal wizard, a British publication reported he was a “wife-beater” to his ex-wife Amber Heard, he was dragged off the series by Warner Bros.
Last year, it was announced Mikkelsen was taking his place as the legendary sorcerer. Fans of both Fantastic Beasts and Depp were not convinced he would be able to take over the role convincingly, and the actor himself has opened up about what went on behind the scenes.
In just a few weeks, Olivia Wilde and boyfriend Harry Styles will step on the red carpet at the prestigious Venice Film Festival for the world premiere of their new movie, “Don’t Worry Darling,” which she directed.
They will be joined by Styles’ co-star Florence Pugh, one of Hollywood’s brightest young things. But Hollywood is buzzing that the 26-year-old actress has fallen out with Wilde, 38, over the director hooking up with Styles.
“I can tell you for a fact that Flo seeing Olivia and Harry all over each other on set did not go down well as Olivia was still with Jason when she first hooked up with Harry,” one insider told Page Six, referring to Wilde’s ex, “Ted Lasso” star Jason Sudeikis.
The former couple — who got engaged in 2012 and share kids Otis, 8, and Daisy, 5 — announced the end of their seven-year-romance in November 2020.
At the time, sources cited Wilde’s relationship with Styles as the main reason for the split, with one insider telling Page Six that the affair with Styles, now 28, had been ongoing for a month, leaving “Saturday Night Live” vet Sudeikis distraught.
“Jason and the kids visited Olivia on set at the beginning a few times, so I think this all made people feel a little uncomfortable,” the insider said this week.
Internet sleuths certainly think something is up — finding it strange that, in an industry where stars live and die by Instagram, Pugh failed to “like” a post in which Wilde included the full official trailer for “Don’t Worry Darling” last week.
Wilde followed that up by posting a photo of Pugh with the comment: “Watching this woman work was such a f–king thrill! Cannot wait to show you more. @florencepugh@dontworrydarling.”
Styles and Wilde — seen here soaking up the Tuscany sun — reportedly got together while working on the film.Focus Pictures/BACKGRID
Pugh again was conspicuous by her silence — and the fact that, on the same day, she posted a teaser trailer for another new project, “Oppenheimer,” about J. Robert Oppenheimer, the so-called father of the atomic bomb.
It’s a subject of hot debate on social media, with one fan tweeting: “The way Florence Pugh has yet to post about don’t worry darling even though there are two trailers out for it and yet she’ll post about every single other project that she’s doing right now like what did Olivia Wilde do ????”
“i think it’s so funny how florence pugh had said NOTHING about don’t worry darling and olivia wilde keeps trying to hype her up,” tweeted another.
And noted a third Twitter user: “I need to know what Olivia Wilde did to my baby Florence Pugh on the set of DWD because my girl has been SILENT on movie updates.”
But a source told Page Six, “I heard she was already scheduled to post [about ‘Oppenheimer’] that day for some specific reason, it had nothing to do with a response to Olivia.”
“Don’t Worry Darling” is described as a tale of an unhappy 1950s housewife, played by Pugh, who discovers a disturbing truth about her idyllic life, while her loving husband, played by Styles, hides a dark secret.
On Instagram, Pugh failed to “like” a post in which Wilde included the full official trailer for “Don’t Worry Darling” last week.Mike Marsland/WireImage
On the blue carpet in support of a Tiffany Co. opening in London this week, Pugh was asked about working with Styles. She said he was “a total professional and it was a great experience working together.”
She then spoke about the cinematography and styling — “It was a joy to walk into the hair and makeup trailer every day,” Pugh said, noting “the way that everything looks delicious and golden” — but had nothing to say about her director, Wilde.
It’s Wilde’s second film, following the success of 2019’s “Booksmart,” for which she won an Independent Spirit Award. She hired former One Direction heartthrob Styles on “Don’t Worry Darling” to replace actor Shia LaBeouf, who was caught up in a lawsuit by his former girlfriend FKA Twigs over allegations of sexual assault and “relentless” abuse. (LaBeouf has denied the claims, and the case will go before a judge next April.) Wilde famously said she had a “No A–holes” policy on set.
Styles is reportedly close with Olivia Wilde’s children, Otis and Daisy.Anthony Pham via Getty ImagesWilde split with “SNL” star Sudekis in November 2020 after seven years together.Araya Doheny/Getty Images
Wilde has further been in the headlines after being served custody papers by Sudekis while promoting “Don’t Worry Darling” in Las Vegas at CinemaCon in April, timing for which he later apologized.
Pugh is currently filming “Dune 2,” playing Princess Irulan, and another Hollywood insider told Page Six: “Florence is shooting ‘Dune’ right now and out of pocket. I’m sure she will be front and center for the [‘Don’t Worry Darling’] promo. Once the promo starts in late August, early September, I’m sure she’ll be visible.”
Reps for Styles, Wilde and Pugh were unavailable for comment.
When Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts streamed on HBO Max on January 1, there was one noticeably missing member of the creative team: J.K. Rowling, the writer of the novels the movie series was based on. However, according to a new interview with Rowling, she wasn’t iced out of the special — it was her choice to not participate. Tl;dr: they didn’t fire her, she quit.
Or, more specifically, when asked about why she didn’t appear, on yesterday’s (August 29) episode of The Graham Norton Radio Show Podcast, Rowling explained she felt she didn’t need to do the special because it was more about the movies, than the books.
“Yeah, I was asked to be on that and I decided I didn’t want to do it,” Rowling said, as reported by CNN. “I thought it was about the films more than the books, you know, quite rightly. I mean, that was what the anniversary was about.”
To paraphrase a member of The Brady Bunch: Sure, Jo.
For those of you who have been living under a whomping willow, Rowling has come under fire in recent years for multiple — some might say, non-stop — anti-trans statements, that she has repeatedly tried to paint as “I’m just saying” type tweets and essays. Members of the Harry Potter cast have publicly spoken out about her statements, including Emma Watson, Rupert Grint and Harry himself, Daniel Radcliffe, who published an essay with The Trevor Project, stating that “transgender women are women.”
Of note, Rowling was included in the special in archival footage from 2019, though did not appear in new sequences that reunited the cast and crew, 20 years later. On the other hand, the author did attend the world premiere of the third Fantastic Beasts movie (which she wrote the script for), and has recently released a new novel under her pseudonym, Robert Galbraith, that reportedly details a YouTube creator who is doxxed for anti-trans statements.
Despite the eerie similarities to Rowling herself, the author swears that it’s all a coincidence.
“I had written the book before certain things happened to me online,” Rowling also told Norton, as reported by Rolling Stone. “I said to my husband, ‘I think everyone is going to see this as a response to what happened to me,’ but it genuinely wasn’t. The first draft of the book was finished at the point certain things happened.”
One might perhaps start to think that Rowling is good at creating fictional narratives — at least, when it comes to her own life.
Jo Koy (with his son Joseph Jr. beside him) and his whole team at the red carpet premiere of his movie ‘Easter Sunday’
Filipino-American comedian Jo Koy arrived in Manila on Aug. 30 to a triumphant welcome, and he brought with him the best news of all: his movie Easter Sunday is also “the first time that an all-Asian cast with a Filipino lead is produced by a major Hollywood studio.” The studio is Steven Spielberg’s Dreamworks Pictures.
“It’s a dream come true,” he began. “I did not want to come back to the Motherland without something like this (Hollywood movie) to present. This was my goal since the beginning of my stand-up career.” In a media conference at the Director’s Club of S’Maison mall in Pasay City, Jo Koy told the story about his many failures, doors shutting down and his long struggle to get to the top as a Filipino performer in his 33-year career.
“There were times I wanted to quit. Thank God I didn’t,” he said. ” My mom went to the States in 1969 at the height of racism, and it took 53 years for her to finally see family that looks like her on TV.”
Jo Koy revealed that he did not earn money in his three Netflix specials, but the greatest reward of being on the platform was being noticed by Spielberg. The famed producer was a fan of the comedian’s “Comin’ In Hot” special, which was shot in Hawaii.
“The whole reason for Steven to be involved was because he related to the stories I was talking about on stage, and he got it. So now, he just wants to make a movie and get the message out to everybody,” he narrated.
Jo Koy revealed that Spielberg was very welcoming and accommodating while they were discussing the production of Easter Sunday. “Everything I wanted, he gave me. He really had my back and my best interest.”
He expressed hopes that his starring in the movie will “open the doors for everyone” and trigger a shift in the mindset of bigwigs in Hollywood as far as typecasting Asians with stereotypical roles is concerned. “Things are changing now. Back in the day, if you were a Filipino or if you were Asian, they would lump you all in a group. That’s how racist Hollywood was.”
In his mediacon, Jo Koy told anecdotes about Manny Pacquiao and the iconic balikbayan box – subjects that are also portrayed in Easter Sunday.
He shared that some scenes in the movie really happened to him in real life, such as being pulled over by the police while his son’s mom pretended to be pregnant. It was also true that his mom and aunt fought over a balikbayan box.
“My favorite thing I wrote (in the movie) is: ‘Baby Jesus will save you.’ That was mine.” Jo Koy disclosed.
Easter Sunday opens today in select theaters. The cast includes Hollywood veterans Lou Diamond Phillips and Tia Carrere who are also of Filipino descent.
Sean McConville is madly packing 200 bags of Lego bricks. It’s a big week: he’s preparing to open a second venue for his four-month-old store this weekend.
As McConville explains, Lego is hot property. The 49-year-old’s unique Kensington shop, Brickville, trades and sells second-hand and discontinued Lego. It’s been a success, drawing people from across Melbourne keen to purchase rare figures or to offload or swap their old haul.
Lego can be a lucrative, albeit unusual, investment. One 2021 study found that the value of retired Lego sets grew an average of 11 per cent a year – faster than gold, stocks and bonds.
McConville had always loved Lego, but it was in times of crisis that he and his family found comfort in the familiar bricks.
“We Feed People” wrapped before Andrés went to Ukraine, where he began by distributing soup, tea and flour. That work has expanded to eight countries, serving more than 24 million meals in Ukraine alone and engaging nearly 500 restaurants, food trucks and caterers over 3,000 distribution points. Andrés is eager to get back to the front lines. “Frankly, I was very close to canceling all of this, I’m not going to lie to you,” he says, referring to the marketing push for “We Feed People.” But, he says, he needed to come home to reconnect with his wife, Patricia, and their three daughters. He would soon depart for Spain, where he’s filming a series for Discovery Plus; then, it’s back to Ukraine, where he says daily life is almost surreally bifurcated.
