Thompson on Hollywood

The Woman Who Would be Queen: 'Game of Thrones' 3.4 Recap and Review

Mother of Dragons: Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen

Reviews

Emilia Clarke is still on fire in Season Three of HBO's "Games of Thrones." We're feeling a little prescient this week after noting, last week, how commanding Clarke has been in the sequences set in the Slaver's Bay city of Astapor, where her character, Daenerys Targaryen, is negotiating with the vile and condescending slave breeder Kraznys mo Nakloz (Dan Hildebrand) for an army of The Unsullied, identical-looking eunuch warriors.

By David Chute
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April 22, 2013 1:14 AM
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Now and Then: 'Veep' and Why We Need Satire Right Now

Television

Satire and solemnity are tense bedfellows, and in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings -- after the flags of nations stiffened in the white smoke of the blast, after the dead began to be named, the wounded tallied, the innumerable stories of bravery recounted -- you might say the latter is the order of the day, and you would be right.

By Matt Brennan
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April 17, 2013 2:35 PM
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Video Highlights of the MTV Movie Awards: Aubrey Plaza Stage Crashes, Bradley Cooper's Smooching Skills, Trailblazer Emma Watson and More

Video

You can count on the MTV Movie Awards to be noisy, lively, silly and awkward, and Sunday night was no exception. Check out the full list of winners and highlights below, including Aubrey Plaza stage-crashing Will Ferrell, Seth Rogen and Zac Efron going pantless to present the Best Shirtless Performance, Emma Watson being adorably flustered by her win as MTV Trailblazer, and more.

By Beth Hanna
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April 15, 2013 1:32 PM
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Aereo's Barry Diller Disrupts the TV Establishment--Yet Again

Television

Over the decades Hollywood has feared and tried to spurn most new technology -- television, video cassette recorders, cable, digital video recorders, and internet access to its goodies. The newest object of its fear is Aereo -- which uses thousands of tiny individual antennas to capture and stream to subscribers free TV channels without paying retransmission fees. Aereo, which, like DVRs, allows subscribers to fast forward past commercials, won big in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals 10 days ago when the court refused to issue an injunction against it.

By Aljean Harmetz
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April 10, 2013 1:03 PM
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Five Striking Similarities Between Elisabeth Moss' Roles on 'Mad Men' and 'Top of the Lake'

Television

A joy of the current TV season is that one of the medium’s finest actresses, Elisabeth Moss, has key roles in two of the finest series in recent memory -- “Mad Men,” now in its sixth season, and Jane Campion’s “Top of the Lake.” While the athletic, hardened Kiwi detective Robin Griffin and sharp-as-a-tack ‘60s Mad Woman Peggy Olson are worlds, eras and professions away from one another, I’ve noticed some striking similarities between the two characters.

By Beth Hanna
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April 8, 2013 3:44 PM
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Melissa McCarthy Hosts an Uproarious SNL, Plus Peter Dinklage! (VIDEO)

Video

Melissa McCarthy displayed her range during her hosting gig at Saturday Night Live (clips below). She began her second turn hosting the show with a welcome and rare dose of old-school physical humor in her klutzy monologue.

By Maggie Lange
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April 7, 2013 9:42 PM
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Mikkelsen's 'Hannibal' Gives NBC Much-Needed Ratings Boost, 'The Hunt' Opens July 12

Television

Looks like Danish star Mads Mikkelsen has boosted his stateside star power and NBC's Thursday night ratings at the same time.

By Anne Thompson
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April 5, 2013 1:36 PM
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HBO Renews 'Game of Thrones' for Fourth Season After It Breaks Record with Season Three Premiere

Television

Predictably, HBO has placed an order for a fourth season of "Game of Thrones," the day after the record 4.4. million viewers for the Season Three premiere were announced, just as it did after the Season Two premiere. Three Sunday “Thrones” showings added up to record 6.7 million.

By Anne Thompson
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April 2, 2013 2:20 PM
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Participant Media Launches New Cable Network, 'Pivot,' with a Social Conscience and HitRECord Joe

News

Everybody loves cable these days. Wednesday at an Upfront presentation at New York’s Museum of Arts and Design, Jeff Skoll's Participant Media, which backs entertainment that accelerates social change (“Lincoln,” “The Help,” “An Inconvenient Truth”) announced the August 1 launch of its new cable network, pivot. Participant is targeting Millennials ages 18-34 with its “TV That Matters For The New Greatest Generation” programming slate, full list below.

By Anne Thompson
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March 27, 2013 1:23 PM
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'Top of the Lake' Recap 2: Bringing Out the Dead and Missing

Television

While last week's two-hour premiere of "Top of the Lake" dealt with the blunt one-two shock of a pregnant pre-teen girl and then her disappearance, this week's episode deals with the classic detective-story trope of obsession with a missing person. As is often the case, an obsession with the missing brings out an obsession with the dead.