EricMontreal22

Yes he knows who she is--I'm not sure if we ever saw them in the same scene in Season 1, though I think we might have, but he definitely kept tabs on the Starks--as with everyone else--when she had to go with Ned to King's Landing.

I don't quite fully agree. As Martin has said in some interviews, the ages are meant to fit more with what they would be around the time of the War of the Roses. People lived shorter lives, they grew up (in many ways) quicker, so in a way a modern viewer seeing the show now still perceives the characters more or less to be the ages they are meant to be in the novel... If that makes ANY sense, LOL. I do get your point and am not fully contradicting it, but I think you hgave to age them all at least 3-5 years mentally to fit our modern sense of how old someone would be when they would be expected to marry off (especially in royalty), have sex, etc. I did get some sense that Snow not having sex was a bit of a deal in the books--remember in the first one he can't perform with Ros--or at least turns her down which is supposed to show us early on a sense of his character. Anyway I'm having a terrific time with the season so far--it's been a while (it seems a long while--at least 5 years anyway) since I read the second novel so many things are actually things I had forgotten. My only worry is we only have four episodes remaining now... And it is starting to feel ever so slightly unwieldy with stories dropped for full episodes etc. Martin and one of the showrunners Benioff said tyhat starting next season there would be greater differences from the novels, and really I think that might be necessary as the books themselves got so much more dense and complex. Like while reading the books, I do have sympathy for his situation--that's what helps save him as a character. But he really is a stupid idiot... I liked the New Yorker review of the series this week. I think her points about the sexploitation, as it's called, are fair (she's both for and against it and I agree with her points) and it's interesting how she places the show in the context of cable drama in general: http://www.newyorker...currentPage=all

Rmemeber his bizarre two day (or was it one)( stint on OLTL not too long ago as a man who was meant to get involved with Vicki? All I remember is there was a scene at the Palace where he was drunk and obnoxious to her.

I think there's really only the one important fight (if you've read the books you know which) that will mean more action--fans were upset that they couldn't film the one in season 1 and just cut away, and this one is more important, though honestly I didn't mind them cutting away. Lots of the budget also is going to things like not using fake snow but actually filming the beyond the wall stuff in Iceland. The Direwolves were real dogs last year. This year because they're meant to be much bigger, they're a combo of trained wolves and CGI.

Oh wow, and it's about time she worked with someone new.

I'm down to a pack a week--so getting there. (the ED picture is the only one that's not repulsive--ie pics of wrecked lungs--it's a cigarette that's bent and flopped over).

She always kinda has though... For certain songs anyway. And yes, I know about that side effect. In Canada cigarettes are sold (maybe they are now in the US too but I don't think so) with HUGE photos on the packs that warn, with graphic pics, of various problems they cause.

EVen though the Girls Gone Wild video is obviously pandering to the gays, and even though I smoke (I know, I know) the "smoking is cool" thing kinda bugs me, and even though I find it ridiculous the uncensored one has a random male butt shot that seems there just for controversy, I really like the video. It's nice to see she's not remotely trying to suck up to the US mainstream the way she did with the 4 Minutes video (and the whole Hard Candy thing really) and has gone back for a more euro, and of course gay vibe and it is reminiscent of Vogue/Justify. Ok the bizarre shirtless men in tights and high heels is so Kylie Minogue ten years back (Fever Tour, etc), but I guess it's new to many and probably has more to do with working with Kazaky the Ukranian male dance group who often wear heels (who I admit are actually a bit too gay for me-- )I hope the concert takes up some of the Euro vibe.

Ah I thought you meant they went the whole supernatural route. It does sound like an idiotic filler story so probably was the strike.

Wait what was the New Jersey Devil story? LOL I swear they left that out of the plot synopsis in the coffee table book. You do mean the urban legend creature right and not the hiockey team...

The nudity is only in the opening really, but I remember how hyped that aspect of the show is. (I suppose no other mainstream act has done a tour with nudity...) I'd never seen that Don't Cry bit--wow! It's no secret she had been trying to get herself into the role for a VERY long time--I admit, some vocals aside, she really did do her best film work in it, partly I think as it's basically one long music video and while Madonna seems barely able to act while speaking, she can do it while singing.

That's how I always took the video as well. I love that you called Patti Lupone, PL. Evita was kinda miscast just as it really is a belter's role, which Madonna can't do. Exactly. It's ironic because Madonna has always been one of the stronger US artists in terms of post disco dance.

I actually had never heard that. Wow--I guess it makes sense in some ways (due to her actions afterwards). I am still up in arms that Donna Summer hasn't made it in--considering she WON a rock Grammy, and sold so well in the 70s. They really do need to rename the Hall of Fame to Pop though.

I think Turth or Dare is pretty embarassing. As a teen I thought it was cool--but now I watch it and think Madonna was really cruel to her friends and completely to get "good video" footage. Brown nails it.

This is a completely personal take and deals with things I've had a lot of (maybe too much) therapy about, but I do think it's about sexual abuse, and I think Madonna was abused--partly in the ways she's "acted out" and some of her lyrical content. But it's an amazing video and Fincher really was her best director, if not the best director of videos in general (the way he filmed dance--even in the rip off/homage to Fosse's All That Jazz with Paula Abdul's Cold Hearted Snake is second to none and I've heard he was angry at Madonna for not championing him as a director for Evita).

Madonna and Michael seem like such a weird pairing--I doubt they would have even had anything to talk about in the limo.... To be fair, she did make Breathless a large part of her tour. It's just not a good song though--if Prince could give Nothing Compares to Sinead you would think he could come up with something better for Madonna. But we agree on the video for Oh Father--I think it's an amazing and powerful, without being too obvious, visual about the damages of sexual abuse.

One of the highlights of what I think--at least DVD wise--is her best tour.

I kinda love I'm Breathless but it's not very good really. I give it proprs for Madonna finally getting my fave songwriter Stephen Sondheim into the pop charts, albeit briefly, thanks to the three songs he wrote for her apparently just as a favour to his good friend Warren Beatty for the film. He also apparently made her cry when recording the songs because he complained so much about how flat she was (to be fair the songs, More in particular are pretty difficult).

Ray of Light sounds SOOO dated to me now (as do most orbit productions which is why I've been pleasantly surprised by the clips of his new work with Madonna) but part of that admittedly is because it came out when I was in grade 11 and just starting to really pay attention to pop music producers--and I played his stuff constantly (he even made All Saints sound good with the three terrific songs he did for them). It is undeniably a great album with a lot of strong material, and was a minor comeback for her at a point where people were starting to doubt her relevence. Frozen was massive at the time I remember. I think you're spot on about LAP--I just wish she had realized to leave that Prince song off of it--awful, awful. While maybe too light weight for the album, the Bside to Cherish i think, Supernatural, would have worked therte much more. (Speaking of B-sides I still think it's criminal Has to Be was left off ROL). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHvC5E_x6tk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1hrQ7s_KII

I love that performance of Express Yourself BTW--it's interesting that I don't think she ever performed the original album "Sly and the Family Stone" inspired version--always the Pettibone remix.

I need to get back into PP. I took a break around episode 100 but that was nearly six months back... I think your views are really astute. I was actually very surprised at just how beautifully filmed the show is--something I didn't expect. Even compared to the best of primetime tv from that era, it seems to have been directed with special care.

I guess it shouldn't be dismissed--I've just become disillusioned since my favorite acts tend to always chart there, and yet nobody seems to know who they are anymore, lol. The dance charts are also very much based around gay taste and (I feel bad saying this), gay audiences have a tendency to cling to their favorite artists harder than any other fanbase aside from teenaged girls, so... The Kylie polorization is interesting. I think it's more a reflection on the fact that Europe/Asia has always accepted dance music as mainstream in a way that the US hasn't ever since the disco sucks era. Kylie's early success too was based on the fact she was an Aussie soap star whose show was insanely popular in the UK, and that she was produced/written by Stock Aitken Waterman a team who had insane success in Europe during the late 80s, yet barely made a dent in the American music base (their biggest successes were probably Bananarama and Rick Astley in the US and their Donna Summer album).

But she very much (like Madonna) has become known as a great live act. Her concerts do amazing business, regardless of how her albums sell (I would also argue that she's become something of an album artist with low single sales but, at least decent album performances which may be inevitable for any aging pop act). I always find it kinda amusing how drunk rugby guys will still go see Kylie's campy, homoerotic shows.

And of course Dannii covered Baby Love which was written for Madonna with him. I always thought these songs were kinda ironic--Kylie BEGGED to work outside of the Stock/Aitken/Waterman PWL factory, and yet on the album SAW stepped up to the plate and gave her their best material, and the American stuff she did let her down.

The dance charts mean [!@#$%^&*]==my woman Donna Summer has had her singles chart there since 1970 and as I've said, my other woman (don't worry--they don't fight) Kylie has pretty much everything she does chart there, as do the Pet Shop Boys.