I can’t believe it – a new season of Game of Thrones finally debuts this weekend. I’ve been waiting forever and it felt like a lifetime since I’ve last been spending some time in Westeros. I had lofty plans of re-watching the first six season to help pass the time, but that somehow never happened. But I am so freaking excited to have this show back in my life, even if it is for a shortened season. Lately I have kind of dreaded Sunday nights because that meant mentally preparing myself for facing another week of work, so I’m glad to have something that will make my end of weekend transition more enjoyable. Whatever fresh hell my co-workers have cooked up will pale in comparison to the pending encroachment of White Walkers.
So while I quickly refresh my memory on where we left everyone last season, you can refresh your pop culture knowledge with this week’s roundup.
Television
- George R.R. Martin will produce a fantasy drama for HBO.
- The season 7 Game of Thrones death odds are here – and things don’t look good for my favorite character.
- For your Game of Thrones viewing party, learn how to make foods from the show (including Dothraki Blood Pie).
- Someone did the math on how much it would actually cost to ship redacted’s army on Game of Thrones.
- There will be a Game of Thrones touring exhibition.
- A Game of Thrones cast member was almost fired for revealing her role on the show.
- This is not a drill – Curb Your Enthusiasm returns October 1st.
- Christina Hendricks will star alongside Retta and Mae Whitman in Good Girls for NBC.
- Not a good sign – the Sons of Anarchy spinoff is being reshot and recast.
- American Horror Story season 7 will see the return of a villain from an earlier season.
- Ava DuVernay will team up with Netflix for a limited series on The Central Park Five.
- Netflix has ordered a series based on The Umbrella Academy graphic novels.
- Outlander will return September 10.
- Michael C. Hall is set to star in Netflix’s eight-part drama, Safe.
- Erica Durance will replace Laura Benanti on Supergirl.
- Erinn Hayes will star in Bryan Cranston’s Amazon comedy, The Dangerous Book for Boys.
- A The L Word sequel series is in development at Showtime.
- Jennifer Jason Leigh and Hugo Weaving will play Benedict Cumberbatch’s parents on Showtime’s Melrose.
- Bill Skarsgard can’t get enough of Stephen King and joins the cast of the Hulu series Castle Rock. Skarsgard will star as Pennywise in the upcoming film adaptation of King’s It.
- Natalie Zea joins the cast of Jay Pharoah’s Showtime comedy.
- Selma Blair joins the cast of the Heathers TV series in a recurring role.
- Stranger Things 2 will be influenced by the CIA’s mind control program.
- Milana Vayntrub has been cast as Squirrel Girl in the New Warriors series.
- Lucy Liu will direct the season 2 premiere of Luke Cage.
- The second season of Luke Cage will feature a new vigilante and a new villain.
- BoJack Horseman returns in September.
- UPROXX ranks the worst times the gang screwed over Rickety Cricket on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
- Olivia Munn signs on for the second season of History’s SIX.
- Michael Kosta is the newest correspondent for The Daily Show.
- CBS will air the animated special Michael Jackson’s Halloween this year.
- John Cho joins that cast of The Exorcists for the second season.
- Empire and Star will crossover this Fall.
- A new Friends fan theory questions if it was all dream.
- SyFy announced their Sharknado week movie schedule.
- The Oxygen channel will become all true crime, all the time.
- Steven Soderbergh reveals what a third season of The Knick would have looked like.
- Hulu will now offer HBO and Cinemax as add-on subscriptions.
- Andy Garcia will play Ricardo Montaban in HBO’s My Dinner With Herve.
Movies
- Quentin Tarantino’s next movie will allegedly be about the Manson Family murders.
- John Oliver joined the cast of the live-action Lion King.
- Barry Jenkins will direct an adaptation of James Baldwin’s If Beale Street Could Talk.
- Daniel Craig will reportedly return as James Bond.
- HBO will debut a documentary this fall about Steve Spielberg.
- Charlize Theron would be down to star in a Mad Max: Fury Road prequel movie. Let’s make this happen!
- The Wonder Woman sequel will reportedly find Diana squaring off with the Soviets during the Cold War.
- Renee Zellweger and Common will join Sarah Jessica Parker in the romantic drama Best Day of My Life.
- Marvel has released a new look at Evangeline Lilly’s costume for Ant-Man and The Wasp.
- Randall Park has joined the cast of Ant-Man and The Wasp.
- Samuel L. Jackson will appear in Captain Marvel.
- Edgar Wright and James Gunn coordinated the soundtracks to their respective movies so there would be no overlap.
- A Wayne’s World 25th anniversary event was held in Aurora, Illinois.
- Judy Greer joins Clint Eastwood’s new film, the biopic The 15:17 To Paris.
- Could Ivan Drago appear in Creed 2?
- Jeremy Renner broke both his arms while filming Tag.
- Taran Killam’s film Killing Gunther will debut in October.
- Johnny Depp passed on Face/Off because he was bummed it wasn’t a hockey movie. I have no idea why that amuses me so much, but it does.
Trailers
- Ozark:
- The Deuce:
- The Dark Tower:
- Dunkirk:
- Fun Mom Dinner:
- Bella Appétit:
- Will & Grace:
- California Typewriter:
- The final season of Episodes:
- Vice Principals, season 2:
- Kidnap:
- Goon: Last of the Enforcers:
- Lemon:
- Final Portrait:
- What Would Diplo Do:
- Icarus:
Music
- JAY-Z is going out on tour in support of 4:44.
- Chance The Rapper did a Tiny Desk Concert.
- Dr. Dre dropped a new song.
- Waka Flocka Flame danced with his sign language interpreter.
- Brittany Howard has a new band – Bermuda Triangle.
- Wiz Khalifa has taken the title for most watched YouTube video of all time from Psy.
- Tyler, the Creator has a very interesting name for his new album.
Books
- Actor Curtis Armstrong is writing a memoir, Revenge of the Nerd.
Theater
- Cirque du Soliel has merged with Blue Man Group.
- Listen to the full cast album of The Lightning Thief: The Perry Jackson Musical.
- The Seattle Repertory Theatre is doing a grunge musical.
Odds and Ends
- The Rock (aka Dwayne Johnson) has actually registered to run for president.
- Rooney Mara had her first slice of pie at 31 years old. How is that possible?!?
- Gavin Russom of LCD Soundsystem has come out as transgender.
- The man who has voiced Kermit The Frog since Jim Henson’s death has left the Muppets family.
- Donal Logue’s daughter has returned home safely after going missing for two weeks.
- Bill Murray and his brothers are opening a Caddyshack-themed restaurant near Chicago.
- Lauren Conrad and husband William Tell welcomed a baby boy.
- Patton Oswalt and Meredith Salenger are engaged.
- Shia LaBeouf has been arrested. Again.
- Blac Chyna has been granted a restraining order against Rob Kardashian.
- Bill Cosby’s new sexual-assault trial will start in November.
- Migos was kicked of a Delta flight, but there is no consensus on why.
- Billie Lourd and Taylor Lautner have split.
- Joan Lee, wife of Stan Lee, has died. She was 95.
- Actor Nelsan Ellis, best known as Lafayette on True Blood, died from heart failure related to complications from alcohol withdrawal. He was 39 years old.
Mashups and Supercuts
- Kit Harrington auditions for other Game of Thrones characters:
- The Muppets cover “Sabotage”:
- What if Jared from Silicon Valley was a serial killer: