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Flavorwire Interview: Armando Iannucci Says ‘Veep’ Gets Personal in Season 2

By Jason Bailey on

Armando Iannucci’s characters, whether on his HBO series Veep, his BBC show The Thick of It, or that show’s film spin-off In the Loop, all share one common trait: a gift for inventive, ingenious insults and profanity. So while it’s not exactly a shock that Mr. Iannucci is such a cheerful, soft-spoken, and friendly chap, it is a bit of a relief; what’s surprising is that he insists, “I don’t swear myself!” In the worlds he’s writing about, “there is a fair amount of profanity but profanity can be quite dull.” With his characters, though, “we try and make it as interesting as possible so it’s not so much the swear words, it’s more the phrases around the swear words that make it more interesting.” … Read More

Pop Culture

Staff Picks: Flavorwire’s Favorite Cultural Things This Week

By Julia Pugachevsky on

Need a great book to read, album to listen to, or TV show to get hooked on? The Flavorwire team is here to help: in this new weekly feature, our editorial staffers each recommend the cultural object or experience they’ve enjoyed the most in the past seven days. Click through for our picks, and tell us what you’ve been loving in the comments. … Read More

Art

Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce Employees and the Art That Should Decorate Their Offices

By Chloe Pantazi on

With Season 6 of Mad Men returning this Sunday night and venturing even deeper into the 1960s, we figured it was high time for an art update at the Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce offices. After the jump, the famous artworks with which we would redecorate the walls of each of our favorite SCDP employees’ offices. In the name of sheer fun, note that no regard whatsoever has been paid to the price, availability, or timeliness of these artworks. … Read More

Pop Culture

Staff Picks: Flavorwire’s Favorite Cultural Things This Week

By Julia Pugachevsky on

Need a great book to read, album to listen to, or TV show to get hooked on? The Flavorwire team is here to help: in this new weekly feature, our editorial staffers each recommend the cultural object or experience they’ve enjoyed the most in the past seven days. Click through for our picks, and tell us what you’ve been loving in the comments. … Read More

Television

A ‘Game of Thrones’ Bestiary

By Alison Nastasi on

“You can’t tame a wild thing. You can’t trust a wild thing… Wild creatures have their own rules, their own reasons, and you’ll never know them,” Kit Harington’s Jon Snow learns in season two of Game of Thrones. The HBO series is filled with wild things — mythical beasts and shadowy creatures that live in the ancient woodland of Westeros. We’ve been introduced to some of those species, many which bear a close resemblance to real-world animals and folkloric beings. Others have yet to be revealed, their presence teased in the season three trailer fans have been replaying for weeks. In anticipation of this Sunday’s premiere, we’ve compiled a Game of Thrones bestiary that collects the fascinating details about many of the animals and creatures from the George R. R. Martin books and the show. We’ve tried to avoid sharing too many plot details, but there could be spoilers. Bookmark this creature compendium for future reference, and add your own entries in the comments section. … Read More

Television

The Problem With ‘Game of Thrones’ Season 3

By Emily Temple on

Let’s get something out of the way before we begin: I love Game of Thrones. I just made a whole set of Game of Thrones Magic cards with my significant other. While I’m a lifelong reader of fantasy novels, I admit that I only got around to reading Martin’s series after watching the first season of the HBO adaptation, which I adored — all witty rejoinders and grand gestures with one’s sword hand. Of course, like many other readers, I tore through the novels immediately after the first season ended and still had almost a year to wait to see A Clash of Kings brought to life. When HBO finally obliged, I was disappointed. Season 2, at least in my mind, couldn’t hold a candle to Season 1 – too unfocused, too exposition-heavy, too distractingly far from the book’s original storyline. After watching the first few episodes of Season 3, my feelings are mixed; the confusion that cropped up in Season 2 is still a problem, but a healthy amount of the show’s original bombast and glee has reappeared. … Read More

Television

The Amusing Early Roles of ‘Game of Thrones’ Stars

By Jason Bailey on

Happy Game of Thrones Week, everybody! As we gear up for the season three premiere, it’s worth taking a moment to acknowledge an element of the HBO hit that doesn’t often receive proper recognition, amidst all the mythology and swordplay and coolness: the brilliance of its ensemble cast. In celebration of said thespians, we thought it might be fun to take a peek into their filmographies, where some surprising early credits paved their way to Westeros and Essos. The results of our archeological dig are after the jump. … Read More

Television

The Absolute Geekiest ‘Game of Thrones’ Merchandise

By Chloe Pantazi on

If you’re one of those hardcore fans who has spent your time since the end of Season 2 of Game of Thrones in mourning, or perhaps in sheer denial, living life as though you’re in Westeros – if you enjoy swigging mead from a casket, and holding GoT-themed parties, etc. – then this is a post for you. Ahead of Sunday’s Season 3 premiere, we were inspired to source the geekiest Game of Thrones merch we could find on the market, from the dirt cheap to the (almost) offensively expensive. And don’t hasten to let us know in the comments if we’ve missed out on any Game of Thrones swag essentials! … Read More

Television

The 10 Scenes From ‘Game of Thrones’ Book 3 We’re Most Excited to See on TV

By Emily Temple on

Here at Flavorpill, we’re gearing up for season three of HBO’s Game of Thrones, which is likely to be even more eventful than the last two seasons. Why do we think so, you say? Well, because we’ve read the books. And in book three, A Storm of Swords, there’s a heck of a lot of chaos. After the jump, we pick out the ten scenes from the book that we’re most excited to see get the HBO treatment — but fair warning, fans: obviously, major spoilers are rampant. Proceed at your own risk, and for those of you who’ve read the books, let us know if we missed the scene you’re most hoping to see in the comments. … Read More

Television

Everything We Know About ‘Game of Thrones’ Season 3 So Far

By Alison Herman on

Cue the “Winter is Coming” headlines: HBO’s hit high-fantasy drama Game of Thrones is back this Sunday, and speculation about the infamously unpredictable show has reached a fever pitch. Based on George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire book series, the show’s massive cast, byzantine plot, and out-of-nowhere plot twists leave plenty of room for speculation. To help readers find their way through the rumor mill, we’ve compiled everything we know about Season 3, from chronology to guest stars to its soundtrack. Read on for a sneak peek at what lies ahead, and diehard fans be warned: there are a few minor spoilers. … Read More