How “Game of Thrones” achieved that gruesome special effects shot
Alex Graves, who directed last night”s episode, says: “I storyboarded it for, 'This is when we're going to use Pedro, and this is when we're going to need some kind of a head that can implode.' I sent our makeup supervisor off and he built this head to use for the shots. Then the visual effects guys took it home by putting a little swelling in the head, and making the one eye look really bad. The last composition that we barely got before the sun went down was of the two of them lying dead – the effects team made that even more gruesome. They rearranged some of his brain matter.” PLUS: How long book fans had to wait compared to the TV show fans, and read Twitter's reaction.
Yvonne Strahovski: “Chuck” was cartoonish compared to “24”
Even though both shows required her to play CIA agents, Strahovski says, “”There was a lot of silliness” on “Chuck,” adding: “it”s baseline was comedy. It”s just sort of the complete opposite with something like this. With (’24”) you have make things seem as real as possible.”
“Breaking Bad,” “The Walking Dead” and “Pretty Little Liars” were Twitter”s top 3 TV shows of last season
Twitter has released data about its first season tracking TV shows.
Why “Jeopardy!” should bring back the 5-win limit
Julia Collins” winning streak has shown that a dominating player also makes for a banal game show. PLUS: Behind the scenes of a “Jeopardy!” audition, where personality is crucial.
“Fargo”s” deaf actor always wanted to play a villain
Russell Harvard, who plays Mr. Wrench, was so impressive, he was given an extra episode. “I'm just so happy,” he says, “that I was given the opportunity to play somebody that's not myself, that's not me – you know, the villain,” if you will. … I've always been motivated to play something like that.”
“Silicon Valley” tries to mock the tech industry's sexism, ends up being sexist
Watching the HBO comedy, says Esther Breger, “it seems the greatest effect of Silicon Valley sexism and gender disparity is how hard it makes it for these guys to hook up with women. The jokes” target is the pathetic, emasculated dudes, sex-starved nerds busy with dick-measuring contests-not the troubling system they”re a part of. Instead of skewering the tech world, the show merely reproduces its toxic mythologies.”
“Key & Peele” to introduce Hillary Clinton”s anger translator
The new character will be like “trailer bait” next season.
Disney XD animates Jay Leno and his big chin
See how he looks on next week”s episode of “Phineas and Ferb.”
Amy Poehler”s memoir will address her divorce, plus how Jon Hamm soothed her during pregnancy
A very pregnant Poehler was working on a “Mad Men” sketch on “SNL” when she got word that her doctor had died. Hamm helped calm her down by cracking her up.
Chuck Lorre: “Mom” is my apology for “Two and a Half Men”
“To do a show about people trying to redeem their lives and to salvage and repair the damage they”ve done, for me, it”s an opportunity to apologize for ‘Two and a Half Men,”” Lorre said at the Television academy honors.
Check out Jax Teller”s “Sons of Anarchy” action figure
Here he is in an orange prison jumpsuit.
Jimmy Kimmel”s little sister has her own comedy show on Phoenix TV
“Jill Bryan's Scrumdillyumptious” airs once a month.
A&E”s “The Returned” adds Kevin Alejandro
The “True Blood” alum will play a small-town sheriff on the American adaptation of the French zombie series. PLUS: “Treme”s” India Ennenga also joining “The Returned.”
Why it”s OK to have all white male late-night hosts
Keli Goff, who is black, compares late-night to country music. If it”s all right if country music isn”t diverse, then what”s wrong with a lack of late-night diversity?
Watch the trailer for FX”s “You”re the Worst,” an “anti-romantic comedy”
Debuting July 17, “You”re the Worst” features a couple who are literally the worst.
Mindy Kaling: It was “heartbreaking” when “SNL” offered me a writing job, but rejected me as a performer
Kaling auditioned for “Saturday Night Live” while working on “The Office.” But her boss Greg Daniels would only allow her to audition on the condition that she won a job as a performer.
Brooklyn has become the hip place to film TV shows
Not only does “Girls” film there. But Brooklyn has become a popular shooting location for “The Americans,” where it stands in for Washington, D.C., and “The Good Wife” and ABC”s “Black Box.”
Alton Brown going back on tour
The Food Network star is visiting more than 40 cities with the “Alton Brown Live! The Edible Inevitable Tour.”
Bravo developing reality shows “#obsessed” and “Apres Ski”
Also on Bravo”s reality development slate: “High Stakes Style.”
A “Late Night” writer for Seth Meyers played young Louis CK on “Louie”
Conner O”Malley is on Seth Meyers” 1st “Late Night writing staff, just like Louis CK was on Conan O”Brien”s 1st “Late Night” writing staff. PLUS: Can “Louie”s” love exist without sex?
“The Powerpuff Girls” theme gets slow-jammed
Watch an R&B performance of the cartoon”s theme song.
Michelle Forbes talks about her weird “Orphan Black” storyline
“It gets wonderfully weird,” she says.
John Oliver has the clearest explanation of net neutrality
“Net neutrality,” he says, “he only two words that promise more boredom in the English language are 'featuring Sting.””
Bravo”s “Ladies of London” is “Real Housewives” without “The Real Housewives” name
Premiering tonight, “Ladies” stars several American ex-pats.