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"Celebrate 10 years of fire, ice and dragons" with HBO's 'Game of Thrones' "Iron Anniversary"

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HBO/Macall B. Polay(LOS ANGELES) — Ten years ago this month, the Emmy-winning phenomenon Game of Thrones launched on HBO. To celebrate a decade of “fire, ice, and dragons,” the cable network has launched “The Iron Anniversary.” 

HBO Max’s brand new Game of Thrones spotlight page offers “curated tours” of the show “for every level of fandom,” from newbies to die hard fans, as well as 150 videos of behind-the-scenes goodies, like interviews and clips.

The month-long celebration of the adaptation of author George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series will feature a Game of Thrones “MaraThrone” of every first season episode on HBO2 starting at 10:00 a.m. ET on April 10.

Fans will also be challenged to binge all 73 episodes of the show on HBO Max, which will be tied to cast members’ rallying fans to contribute to Women for Women International, World Central Kitchen, UNICEF, and more.

GOT fans can also pick up their own essentials timed for the anniversary, like Danish craft beer company Mikkeller’s Game of Thrones line, which launches with the “Iron Anniversary IPA,” as well as a new line of Funko’s Pop! vinyl collectibles.

For those with deeper pockets, there’s a “one-of-a-kind Imperial egg by Fabergé,” which was co-designed by the series’ Emmy Award-winning costume designer Michele Clapton. The egg includes a miniature crown designed by Ms. Clapton, “which represents the crown Daenerys Targaryen would have worn had she taken the Iron Throne,” a release notes.

Later in April, HBO will surprise three couples who were married in Westeros-themed ceremonies with their own anniversary gifts, namely GOT-branded “barrels of wine, custom chalices, and elaborate cakes designed in partnership with local bakeries to represent the Game of Thrones houses of Targaryen, Stark and Lannister.”

By Stephen Iervolino
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

"I'm done running from my past" — New trailer released for 'Black Widow'

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Marvel Studios/Jay Maidment(LOS ANGELES) — Over the weekend, Marvel Studios released a final trailer for Black Widow ahead of the super-spy’s standalone adventure that hits theaters and Disney+ Premiere Access on July 9.

The snippet is reminiscent of the film’s first trailer, released a year ago last month — perhaps a refresher for audiences, since the film was delayed from its original May 1, 2020 debut because of the pandemic. 

Although it features scenes from Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow from the previous Avengers movies, and her ultimate sacrifice during Avengers: Endgame, it also delves into her past.

Set after the events of Captain America: Civil War, when Natasha goes on the run with all of her covers blown, Black Widow has her returning to her “family” in Russia to set right some “unfinished business.”

The snippet shows new scenes from her childhood, when Natasha became part of an adoptive family of spies, including Rachel Weisz as her “mother,” Melina, David Harbour as her “father” Alexei, who becomes sort of a Soviet version of Captain America called Red Guardian, and her “sister,” Yelena, played by Florence Pugh.

They reunite in an apparent effort to undo the Black Widow program that raised Natasha and Yelena as assassins. The family also tangles with a mysterious masked baddie called Taskmaster — who, as he did in the pages of Marvel Comics, had the ability to mimic any fighting style of any opponent he faces.

“One thing’s for sure,” Natasha says as the dramatic trailer concludes. “I’m done running from my past.”

Marvel is owned by Disney, parent company of ABC News.

By Stephen Iervolino
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Kate Winslet claims there are "at least 4 actors" who are afraid to publicly embrace their sexuality

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Vera Anderson/WireImage(LONDON) — Kate Winslet revealed in a new interview that there are several well-known actors who are afraid to publicly reveal their sexuality.  The Titanic star claims the unnamed actors are “terrified” of how coming out will impact their careers.

Speaking to The Sunday Times on Sunday, Winslet says a climate of “fear” still weighs heavily on some LGBT actors and said she knows “at least four actors” who are afraid of no longer being cast in lead roles should they publicly embrace their sexuality.

“I cannot tell you the number of young actors I know – some well known, some starting out – who are terrified their sexuality will be revealed and that it will stand in the way of their being cast in straight roles,” the Oscar winner explained.

“I can think of at least four actors absolutely hiding their sexuality,” Winslet announced. “It’s painful. Because they fear being found out.'”

When describing how to change that negative culture and make the acting industry “more open,” Winslet says that a way to help closeted actors is to speak up and out about the stigma that targets “men more than anything.”

“Hollywood has to drop that dated crap of, ‘Can he play straight because, apparently, he’s gay?’… That should be almost illegal. You would not believe how widespread it is,” the 45-year-old British actress furthered. “And it can’t just be distilled to the question about gay actors playing gay parts. Because actors, in some cases, are choosing not to come out for personal reasons. And it’s nobody’s business. Perhaps privacy. Perhaps conditioning and shame.”

In order to change Hollywood so that there is “less judgment, discrimination and homophobia,” says Winslet, “More people to speak the way I am.”

By Megan Stone
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

"I'm 10 steps ahead of you": New 'Loki' trailer shows Tom Hiddleston's time-bending "reality" show

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Marvel Studios(LOS ANGELES) — Marvel Studios has just released its closest look at Loki, the upcoming Disney+ series centering on Tom Hiddleston’s fan-favorite God of Mischief.

Although his character met his end by Thanos’ hand in the opening of Avengers: Infinity War, when the Avengers went back in time in Endgame, Loki managed to avoid that fate by stealing the time-traveling power of The Tesseract and warping off to points unknown.

However, he apparently couldn’t avoid avoid capture by the Time Variance Authority, which polices the flow of time. It’s in their custody that agent Mobius M. Mobius, played by Owen Wilson, tasks Loki with going through time to clean up all the nasty branches in reality he’s created.

The trailer shows the series’ sharp dialog is perfectly in line with Hiddleston’s character. In one scene, he’s presented to a bureaucrat who pushes across his desk a massive ream of paper. “Please sign this to verify this is everything you’ve ever said,” he deadpans.

“This is absurd!” Loki responds, only to see his utterance immediately transcribed by a dot-matrix printer and added to the stack by the paper pusher: “Sign this, too.”

Loki eventually agrees to help Mobius, though the character always has his own best interests in mind.

“You can trust me,” he tells Wilson’s character.

He replies, “Loki, I’ve studied almost every moment in your entire life. You’ve literally stabbed people in the back like 50 times!”

“Well, I’ll never do it again,” Loki promises.

Loki premieres on Disney+ on June 11.

Marvel is owned by Disney, parent company of ABC News.

By Stephen Iervolino
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

"I’m taking back what's mine": After years living with a credits typo, Thandiwe Newton reveals her true name

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Mikael Jansson/Vogue(LONDON) — (NOTE LANGUAGE AND CONTENT) Westworld star Thandie Newton’s name is actually “Thandiwe,” but thanks to a misspelling in the credits of her first film, 1996’s Flirting, she’s gone by Thandie in dozens of projects.

But that was then and this is now. The actress tells British Vogue in a feature piece dubbed “The Rebirth of an Icon” that it’s time to take her name back, and more.

Newton, who famously called out Hollywood sexual abuse last August — promising to name names on her “deathbed” — is embracing her roots. The 48-year-old performer, the daughter of a Zimbabwean princess-turned NIH health care worker and a former scientist from Cornwall, England, was given the name Thandiwe, which means “beloved” in her mother’s native tongue, Shona.

Newton, a staunch advocate for the Me Too movement, cataloged the years of racism and sexual abuse she suffered in Hollywood, beginning with her first role that led to the credits typo, and abuse, she weathered for years.

Australian Flirting director John Duigan, whom Newton has repeatedly accused of abuse, said of her light-skinned complexion, “Can you be a bit darker?” she recalls to the magazine. “‘Be darker by Monday.” She claims to have tanned the entire weekend. “Colourism has just been the funniest,” Netwon says. “I’ve been too Black, not Black enough. I’m always Black. I’m just like, whadda you people want!”

Newton, who was 16 at the time, tells Vogue of the filmmaker, “I was traumatized. It was a kind of PTSD for sure. I was so distraught and appalled that a director had abused a young actress, and that it was happening elsewhere, minors getting abused…”

Now, Newton is no longer afraid to embrace herself, her heritage — and her name. “I’m taking back what’s mine,” she says.

By Stephen Iervolino
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.