It is time to list the honours Game of Thrones obtained in the past week. The award season really is in full swing, by now all the nominations for January and February awards have clocked in, and the list is long! Here are the newest additions:
- First off, at IGN.com people had the chance to vote on their own favourites of 2011. Game of Thrones won as Best new show and Best show overall, while Ned Stark was crowned Best hero, and the ending of Baelor was lauded as Best twist.
- The American Cinema Editors society nominated Thrones as the best edited one-hour cable series, based on the work by Frances Parker on the episode Baelor. The competition in the form of the Boarwalk Empire finale and the pilot of Homeland is strong. The ceremony is going to take place on February 18.
- The Cinema Audio Society nominated GoT for the sound mixing award for TV series (Baelor, Ronan Hill and Mark Taylor). Ceremony on Feb 18 as well.
- The Motion Pictures Sound Editors’ Golden Reel Awards brought Thrones two nominations. Best short form dialogue editing on TV (for Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things) and Best short form sound effects editing on TV (for Winter is Coming). The ceremony is to take place on February 19.
- Last but not least, the Costume Designers Guild nominated Michele Clapton‘s work on Thrones as Outstanding costume design on a period/fantasy TV series. The competition includes, among others, Boardwalk Empire and The Borgias. The winners will be announced on February 21.
- Unfortunately, Game of Thrones did not win the Producers Guild Award for episodic TV drama, which went to its sister HBO show Boardwalk Empire yesterday.
Congratulations to all the honourees!
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44 Comments
This may be a theory, but due to all the attention boardwalk empire is getting, if Game of Thrones keeps coming second to it, surely it will entice more and more people to watch the damn thing!? I just pray series 3 /4 /5 get approved soon!
Harry The HeirQuote Reply
Harry The Heir,
Well, I don’t know it I’m the only one, but in many of the TV-related blogs I read people keeps saying BE is too boring. Critics seem to like it, but I have this feeling they won’t nest season.
My personal opinion about BE. Major BE and ADWD spoilers:
BE looks like the perfect show – it’s well written, well acted and it’s gorgeous. Okay. But this is not all. I have to CARE about the characters to like a show and, this season, they did everything they could to make people dislike the show. Basically, all the characters are either cold, unsympathetic bastards, or dead. Who is left there for me to care about? Lucky Luciano and Gillian? It’s bad when you come to hate the major characters, especially considering that the season finale was a badly writte, rushed mess to get ride of Micheal Pitt, who was fired. It’s not that I didn’t want that character to die, it’s that it was really, really bad-handled. If you have read Dance, there’s an obvious comparison between Jimmy and Jon: a character’s death is important if it affects the story.
Like, in AGOT, Ned’s death was the perfect conclusion of his story arc and the trigger of the real story. The main reason why, after DANCE, i don’t believe Jon is dead is that, if he is, then that whole character’s arc would have been meaningless, because that character hasn’t affected the principal story yet, and the whole story of that person would have been pointless. This is exactly what happened on BE: in order for Jimmy’s death to care, there would have been somebody alive and willing to make it matter. Instead, the show killed Angela and the Commodore, and now we are back to the status quo, but hating half the main cast. This is what I call bad writing, or rushed dismissal, and I won’t be coming back next season unless Gillian takes Atlantic City.
Elena AmiciQuote Reply
And I was so damn sure we would get a trailer/teaser today!
Anyways, congratz for the nominations!
G_LeeQuote Reply
Isn’t Luck starting for good next sunday? I think we’ll get a trailer then :)
Elena AmiciQuote Reply
Elena Amici,
I sometimes think that critics can be a bit full of hot air. Boardwalk Empire is okay, but this season was very weak in my opinion.
I understand the technical awards, but the writing for this season really wasn’t that great. I found almost all of the episodes really flat, some had some nice moments in them. The only episode that was good was the incest one … but the Commodore’s Death seemed pretty stupid to me.
I don’t think the Game of Thrones writing (except for George’s episode) was fantastic either, I think the writing team still has a lot to learn when it comes to writing a TV episode.
Jordan HealeyQuote Reply
You guys are killing me with the spoilers. I’m sure there are many people who haven’t seen Boardwalk Empire yet and would like to at some point (*raises hand*), and I’m sure they wouldn’t appreciate going into the comment section of a post about GoT awards and nominations and getting spoiled on a bunch of major BE plot developments.
I didn’t feel like adding the tags myself, so I deleted the spoiler-filled comments. If you wish to discuss BE further, that is fine but please be considerate and tag your spoilers. Thank you.
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
Winter Is Coming,
Sorry WiC. I actually did mean to keep the comments spoiler free, but I kinda forgot while I was writing the last one .
I shall thus refer to “you-know-who” as you-know-who. Duh.
Anyway, my point was that you-know-who story arc was absolutely perfect, until they killed him off. What was the point of that slow descend into ruin then? The character is now dead, and so is that part of the story. It’s not going to matter. As a GOT fan, I’m not upsed by the death per se. I just don’t like the way it was handled.. what was the point of killing angela and the commodore then? Either you kill james and let someone alive to care about it, or you don’t kill james and take away everything he has. You don’t do both, because too much is too much.
My problem with BE is now that the only story arc I truly enjoyed is done. I’ve always though this show is overrated, no matter how gorgeous it looks and now I won’t keep watching because, as much as I love the “background” characters (Gillian+Lucky = Awesomness), I hate almost all of the “main” regulars. I will keep watching only the part I care about, but there’s no way I will ever watch a whole episode again.
I agree that Gretchen and MP were amazing this season. He’s such a great actor
I don’t care how much of a jerk he is, please BE take him back. Somehow.
Elena AmiciQuote Reply
Haha, my usual response is ‘you can’t spell ignorant without IGN’, but they actually seem to have made a good decision here. Thrones ftw!
Elena Amici
I disagree. I thought BEseason1 was pretentious and boring, but for me BEseason2 picked up a whole lot, and I thought the writing was far better. I’m also doubtful about the circumstances surrounding a certain actor being ‘fired’ by his agency. From what I’ve read it seems more like an ‘I broke up with him first’ type of move. As for the ending twist, I think it must have been planned since at least the first couple of episodes of S2, with the amount of foreshadowing being done. I think the big shake-up and character-culling was quite brave, and again, I can see the forethought: Angela and the Commodore are both pretty useless as characters without Jimmy, and I’m interested to see where vanAlden’s journey goes (I’m expecting some interaction with Capone in Chicago)
BE isn’t one of my favourite shows, but considering I thought the first season was a crock of shit, I’m surprisingly interested in where the third season goes. So I s’pose it’s just a matter of opinion etc etc.
EvilPicnicQuote Reply
Well, I don’t need to watch BE now -_-
HMZQuote Reply
EvilPicnic,
I can’t say how the writing was because I found more than half the episodes being so dull I couldn’t watch them. About THAT story arc, I think I was all planned, except for the final twist, because it doesn’t “put up” with the rest. Well, maybe another thing it wasn’t planned was angela’s death because in read an interview the actor who plays that character said (s)he was excited about his/her new love interest and THAT was the path the story was supposed to take, until something happened and they had to change things with ep 10.
(gender reutral pronoums FTW :D)
I’m sorry you’re upset, but there’s no reason to. It looks to me I kept the comment spoiler free. The oly one I wrote with spoilers in it got deleted, I apologized for it and I only write it because somebody else wrote a spoiler first. There are way less BE spoilers here than unmarked Dance spoiler in almost every other post, just pick one at random.
Elena AmiciQuote Reply
Elena Amici,
First off sorry Winter for the spoilers. Sorry everyone for the spoilers. You could have just blacked me out instead of deleting me altogether.
That aside I merely wanted to point out that I don’t think Boardwalk Empire is a critic’s show per se. It is a gangster movie lover’s show. The characters are not supposed to be liked, their gangsters, their morally weak individuals. You know who was sympathetic because he was a young man who tried to make his life better, he was a war hero, he had people that he cared for in some capacity and because the writing made him sympathetic.
But I wouldn’t call the rest of the series bad writing because I don’t like the characters. I would never want to associate with any of these people, because well…their gangsters. This not finding any redeemable characters thing is what I find makes people I know drop Game of Thrones. Probably because they expect the tropes of the fantasy genre to win out. You know what I mean? All this the bad stuff going down (the war of the five kings) and yet in the end some people expect a decent outcome or at least they want to be assured of that. But Boardwalk Empire is about gangsters and the people who are satellites in their powerful orbit, these people lived violent lives and died violent deaths. Anyone who has seen Goodfellas or the Godfather should expect this. Gangsters and all powerful corrupt figures rise high and then they fall.
You know who was a tragedy yes, but I can’t think any better way for the character than that. Any actor would kill for a storyline like that. It’s just ironic how it turned out that way. I’m surprised that you didn’t watch the finale (did I read that right?) because the actor who plays You Know Who in that pivotal scene was fantastic. The scene was fantastic. A beautifully tragic arc. Shakespearean is the word I am thinking of. As much as I wish to see how the Other Guy ends up (for better or worse) or other characters such as Richard, Chalky White, Gillian (whom I loathe and pity) Rothstein, awesome actor and a great character. What will happen with Manny Horowitz? Hopefully Richard will do him in. Even the moral crisis of Margaret who yes is a hypocrite but that’s what makes her human. Interestingly enough when people I know or read about on the internet responded to Ned Stark’s death one of the main excuses they inserted for not watching the show is because there aren’t any other characters that I care about. Although its easier to like Arya or even Sansa (God forbid!) or in your case Tyrion ;-) than it is Nucky Thompson, Lucky Lucianno, Eli or Margaret.
If these characters were “nice” or made to seem more sympathetic to be likeable then the show would lose it’s edge. Better to make art than pander to sentimentality. But then again that’s me talking, I can watch a show or movie and know what happens beforehand and still love it because for me at least it’s the execution that matters. I wouldn’t put the show down because of its subject matter or its tone, that’s just a matter of opinion and taste, not bad writing.
Not attacking you, just defending the show.
Joshua TaylorQuote Reply
Joshua Taylor,
Don’t worry, I got it. Anyway, it’s a matter of opinions. And, yes, I didn’t watch the finale because I’m kinda saving it for a special day :)
And my problem with the show it’s not that I dislike the characters, is that I don’t find the show entertaining anymore. I couldn’t care less about them. I’m just… empty I guess. i don’t care about what happens, about who wins or who loses. It’s all gone
And, I like Lucky Luciano. A lot. he’s right there up with Gillian :D I used to like Margaret until she went all weird, I hope I’ll start to like her again. Well, maybe it’s just not my show (but i LIKE gangsters stories).. to me, BE it’s like a big, beautiful glowing package with nothing inside.
PS: Team Sansa TW!! :D
Elena AmiciQuote Reply
Elena Amici,
Team Sansa indeed! Here’s to bringing down Littlefinger!
Joshua TaylorQuote Reply
I get the BE criticisms, I really do, but I disagree: the series is well-written, well-acted, and absolutely gorgeous. Not liking the characters or the subject matter is totally understandable, but let’s not confuse “unlikable” with “poorly written/acted.” It’s a phenomenal show, especially season 2, although I understand that it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.
The critics are not about to “see the light” and stop liking it.
ElaineQuote Reply
Elena Amici,
There’s nothing wrong with not getting into show, even BE.
IMO BE is a elegant production, well written, edited finely, quality acting….yet for my good regard for it I lost interest in the show half way through the the first season. My wife is glued to it but I think the prohibition era of the 20′s is bland material.
surfKrakenQuote Reply
I feel like there’s a good chance that I’ll get my head lopped off for saying this, but…I can understand BE winning out over GoT in some of these categories. I absolutely love GoT, clearly, since I’ve been following WiC since it’s inception, and think GoT is just going to get better from here on out. But the truth is, after watching seasons 1 and 2 of BE back-to-back over the past few weeks…I think it might be even better. It sucked me straight into the time period it portrays, and has kept me glued to my seat the entire ride without any of the somewhat awkward bumps that GoT certainly had (especially in the first half of season 1). Admittedly, BE has a pre-established history we already are familiar with, whereas GoT has it’s work cut out to get the audience to understand the world…but still. And unlike GoT, which pulls me out of the show with awkward and forced sexposition, the sex and violence of BE always seems to make sense within the story. Both shows have absolutely great ensamble casts, and production values, and both shows are the sort of thing I’ve never seen done nearly so well on television, and both now belong in my short list of favorite TV. So really, whenever I see either of these shows win awards, it makes me pretty darn happy, no matter which one comes out on top.
fevredreamQuote Reply
I’ve tried to start watching BE twice and have been unable to, but somehow still want to like it despite that it hasn’t grabbed me. I think it’s that none of the characters really appealed, and it almost felt too aware of itself, as though it sensed the pressure for it to be great and was trying to force it.
Steve Hugh WestenraQuote Reply
Elaine,
I said the same. Exactly the same. I also added that its problem is that you can’t really get to empathize with the characters, which is its why IMO its third season will go downhill. I said the last part of a storyline was bad written, and I’ll keep saying that. It was just too much. I said that it would have been great having Jimmy to die, and it would have been great having him to lose everything. Just don’t do both. Too much is redundant. It cheapens the storyline and makes it meaningless, and it’s why i said it was badly written
Elena AmiciQuote Reply
I totally agree with you . I hated this season and I have a feeling that the next season will be even worse especially now with Jimmy’s death and with Owen and Margaret becoming main characters in the next season which sucks because imo they are the worst characters on the show
JohnQuote Reply
Oops, sorry I thought that I put spoilers bold in my post but it didn’t seem to work and now I can’t edit it . Damn it !
JohnQuote Reply
@Elena Amici: Not upset, just startled away (further away, I guess you could say) by several BE spoiler hits in a row. I usually don’t say anything on here but thought it was amusing.
Nothing against BE, but I don’t comprehend the appeal of that show. And knowing what I know now, well, let’s just say I’m even more pumped for GoT season 2: ACOK ;)
HMZQuote Reply
fevredream,
WEll said, and I could not agree more.
I think Boardwalk Empire and Game of Thrones are the two of the best (along with Breaking Bad and Mad Men) shows on TV right now honestly. The scale of the production, the talent of both the writers and the large ensemble casts, and the use of quality VFX are top notch and not something one is used to seeing on TV shows! Both series are so much larger than any other shows on TV – just epic in scale!
I have never been bored by BE honestly, it is one of those series where the still and silent scenes say as much as any active and dialog-filled scenes. So much subtlety and nuance in the writing and cinematography. Some people do not or cannot appreciate that.
I also think both series have a lot in common that way, as far as complex stories, being unafraid to go where most series do not and the attention to detail and symbolism by the directors and creative teams.
I could never be upset at one of these series winning an award, even over the other. Both are so deserving it is ridiculous!
darquemodeQuote Reply
You fantasy nerds crack me up. Boo hoo, Game of Thrones didn’t win, instead it went to the “crappy” Boardwalk Empire. Boo hoo. What makes you GoT fans so superior to suggest one show deserves the awards, while the other don’t? GoT needs BE and vice versa, seeing as AMC has been kicking HBO’s ass for a number of years now when it comes to critical acclaim shows. If Thrones is to be taken seriously, it’s got to ditch fans like those. So suck it up.
P.S. Classy act from the person who keeps revealing spoilers. Obviously, it’s hatchet job to get people turn off from BE to those who still have to watch the show and are a little bit curious.
Nucky ThompsonQuote Reply
I haven’t watched BE, but I’m curious about it. If only to see what the hulabaloo is about. Grats to GoT, I’m eager to get into season 2!
I’ll never understand why people come to sites like this and comment if they hate the subject matter. What’s the point?
Raquel DoddQuote Reply
darquemode,
What you said…tenfold.
Josh AtreidesQuote Reply
Treme is easily HBO’s best show at the moment :)
Jordan HealeyQuote Reply
Nucky Thompson,
It’s just a matter of taste. Some here like BE, some don’t. It’s the same on any other forum.
Exept ofcourse everyone here (on a GOT-site) likes GOT, and think it’s deserving of a lot of things.
sjweningsQuote Reply
Nucky Thompson,
I just read this entire post in Steve Buscemi’s voice.
fevredreamQuote Reply
Boardwalk is one of the two best shows on tv right now. It’s not always action packed but it’s a very well done production, and the seemingly unimportant scenes come back in big ways later on. Like GoT it has complex power struggles and when characters are in a jam they aren’t always saved by some miraculous deus ex machina.
Blueberry2Quote Reply
Nonso Anozie, Prince of Quath is talking about his upcoming movie and shooting of Game of Thrones
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWBxQp0GPx4&feature=player_embedded
CavegirlQuote Reply
well i’m a huge fan of gangster stuff and i love the 20s so obviously i like BE, also love steve buscemi ;p. i gotta say tho, i kinda forced myself thru the first 2 episodes until i really got into it. and this last season was a bit of disappointment. i don’t really like to say it but this show could really use some more… action? ;p or at least a bit more of them ‘whoa, holy shit!’ moments. or something, i don’t know.
jkbQuote Reply
It’s a well produced show and I watch it, I’m just not so excited to see a new episode each week as with some other shows. I think some tightening wouldn’t hurt; being forced to tell the story in 10 episodes instead of 12 might in fact improve it. The viewer numbers are stable but not that good.
Hear Me RoarQuote Reply
Lol! Nice trick.
Epic pinaforesQuote Reply
Hear Me Roar,
It’s funny, this is actually another thing I prefer about BE over GoT. GoT is so goddamn rushed. The need to get so much done every episode really hampers the ability to properly get to know some of the characters, whereas BEs slower pace means everybody gets their own time to be developed in a more natural way.
fevredreamQuote Reply
No, that means that they are making the story boring and that’s why they are losing viewers and they are going to get canceled next season . See how easy is to talk trash about your tv show ?
JohnQuote Reply
John,
I just wanted to say is your comments as of late have been incredibly negative and mean spirited. The very fact that you did not even respond to the apology I wrote to you on the other board, one that took me a while to write, is evident of that.
People have different opinions than you do. They see things and appreciate things that you don’t and vice versa. I don’t know what your so angry about.
Joshua TaylorQuote Reply
It’s hard to find a perfect balance. Yes, GoT has a staggering pace, a bit rushed at times, one could say. BE on the other hand is just on the other side of the sweet spot, a bit TOO slow. Just my taste.
Hear Me RoarQuote Reply
BE needs to be paced just a little better in my opinion. More just shy of Breaking Bad’s well paced, frenetic style than Mad Men’s long take, glacial style. GoT needs to fit right between there IMHO.
Joshua TaylorQuote Reply
Not me, everything Donald Simon does is so pretentious. I rather HBO bring back Arliss.
Epic pinaforesQuote Reply
Epic pinafores,
Yeah David Simon exposing the dirty underbelly of America is pretentious. Exposing to the world the ignominious web of corruption, injustice and incompetence in the legal system, in the educational system, the political system and the media that effects every single human being in society from the politicians down to the corner boys and junkies is pretentious. Acknowledging the humanity of every single one of those players is pretentious. Is it ambitious-a word for you that is akin to a cardinal sin-even though you’ve only seen only two episodes as you clearly stated? Yes. That doesn’t make if any less relevant nor does it hinder the series because despite its ambition it succeeded.
As fantastic a series as it is and one that I place with The Wire in the all time greatest TV dramas pantheon Breaking Bad will be remembered as a great series with a greater lead.
All across the world The Wire considered television’s equivalent to Dickens for its social commentary and call for drastic changes will be remembered for years because if it’s noble intentions.
Now before you respond to this in your usual snarky manner i can understand the level of pretension that accolades and ambitions can automatically be attributed to a show. If you wish to dismiss this argument that’s fine but you are missing out. And I say that from one educated, very literate audience member to another.
Josh AtreidesQuote Reply
First of all, I hated Arliss. Secondly, please for the love of god please shut up about The Wire. And finally please don’t assume anything from me, that I’m educated or especially that I’m literate.
Epic pinaforesQuote Reply
Epic pinafores,
;-)
Josh AtreidesQuote Reply
Last time I wrote something serious about The Wire you and that eye person Lex dismissed it all. Now you want to pick it up as a response to ‘Donald Simon’ is pretentious? Come on man. And stop posting as epic; you’re not funny.
Epic pinaforesQuote Reply
Epic pinafores,
This is true. I guess I was taken aback on how to respond to your declaration that the Muppets, delightful entertainment but an entertainment nonetheless was the best show on television. Whatever. I will make you a deal: never respond to anything I post on this site ever again and I will do the same for you. I can’t tell if your being serious or facetious. Whenever I post my opinion about anything you rip it to shreds mercilessly. I am tired of debating with you.
Do we have an understanding?
Josh AtreidesQuote Reply