“Game of Thrones” is back on April 6th for its fourth season, same night as the premiere of my favorite show, “Veep,” both on HBO. Last night spent the big bucks on “Game of Thrones” with a truly lavish premiere at Lincoln Center and in Avery Fisher Hall. They hired the New York Philharmonic orchestra to come on stage and play the series’ theme music and some of its score before Episode 1 was screened. The show’s composer, Ramin Djawadi, got to conduct. This is a big deal.
The screening was followed by a swanky dinner at the American Museum of Natural History, under the suspended whale. Some of the guests included director Joel Coen with his Oscar winning wife Frances McDormand, and son Pedro; double Oscar winner Sally Field accompanied actor Charles Dance, who stars in “Game of Thones, plus Oscar winning writer director Terry George (“Hotel Rwanda”) was there along with many members of the huge cast including Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, a tattooed Lena Headey, and British superstar veteran actress Diana Rigg, aka Emma Peel from every boy’s fantasy circa 1966 in the real “Avengers.” One of our favorite young actors, Evan Jongkeit, came with girlfriend Zosia Mamet from “Girls.”
HBO dressed up the Lincoln Center plaza with white tents for the red carpet, and a large menacing looking dragon. Dragons are very big in “Game of Thrones.” As the ever cute, adorable Emilia Clarke explained, “My character gave birth to them, now they live under her bed. It’s a long story.” Emilia is filming the new “Terminator” movie during her break before returning to “Thrones” in July.
What happens in “Game of Thrones”? A lot of people get stabbed to death and there will be blood. Definitely a lot of blood. A lot of threats are made. Peter Dinklage, who plays Tyrion Lannister, manages to meet every challenge despite the odds of annihilation by several terrible means. Peter has come a long way since his big 2003 debut in “The Station Agent.” He’s the linchpin in this group of medieval maniacs.
I ran into Amanda Peet. Her husband, David Benioff, is one of the creators of “Game of Thrones.” Amanda, always in demand as an actress, just had a great run with her first play “The Commons of Pensacola” here in New York. She told me she’s working on a new one and she, at least, a native New Yorker, was sympathetic to my complaints about drivers in Los Angeles. Next time, I’m hiring one of those flying dragons to take me around!
PS Tonight don’t forget to check out HBO’s terrific “Doll & Em.” I forgot to mention this, but some of Episode 6 takes place in the famed J.Sheeky restaurant in London. The restaurant’s equally famed front of house guy, John Andrews, has a speaking part. He’s terrific!
