HBO chief: ‘Game of Thrones’ ends Season 8, Jon Snow is a goner
KIT HARINGTON as Jon Snow in “Game of Thrones” HBO
BEVERLY HILLS, California—“Game of Thrones” fans, brace yourselves: The fantasy saga’s end is perhaps just a few years away.
HBO programming chief Michael Lombardo said that the drama series’ producers are leaning toward three more seasons after the just-concluded Season Five.
“I’m always hoping they’re going to change their minds, but I think that’s what we’re looking at right now,” Lombardo told a Television Critics Association meeting.
Asked about the possibility of a prequel series, Lombardo said he believed there’s “enormous story material” to be mined for such a project. But the focus now of showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss is Season Six of “Game of Thrones,” he said, which is in production now for 2016.
Lombardo was asked if the popular character Jon Snow, who appeared to die last season, was actually a goner.
“Dead is dead is dead,” said Lombardo, adding, “Everything I’ve seen, heard and read,” Snow is dead.
Live exorcism
Destination America is upping its scare factor for Halloween by scheduling what it describes as a live exorcism to air Oct. 30.
“Exorcism: Live!” was announced Thursday at a news conference in Beverly Hills, California. The event will be held at the St. Louis-area house where teen Roland Doe underwent the ritual in 1949. It became the inspiration for the 1973 film “The Exorcist.”
The paranormal investigators featured on Destination America’s series “Ghost Asylum” will appear on the show with psychic medium Chip Coffey.
Cameras will roll as they explore the home to find whatever is believed to have haunted it for years.
Betty’s fury
Betty White, a passionate animal rights activist, has harsh words for the Minnesota dentist who killed Cecil the lion while on a hunting trip in Zimbabwe this month.
“You don’t want to hear some of the things I want to do to that man,” the 93-year-old actress said. “It’s such a heartbreaker. You can’t even talk about it, and to see this king of the jungle … this gorgeous creature. How can somebody do that?”
Cecil was drawn from a wildlife preserve and shot by American hunter Walter James Palmer on July 1.
Palmer released a statement this week through a publicist saying he was with professional guides and believed the hunt was legal. The firm is no longer helping Palmer.
White, who said she’s “loved animals since the womb,” was promoting a new block of programming in August on Discovery Family Channel called “Pawgust,” with shows, specials and movies about animals.
White will serve as the host of “Pawgust,” and will be featured in promos.
Demi till dawn
Director Robert Rodriguez had been waiting for a chance to work with Demi Lovato since she auditioned for his 2003 movie “Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over.”
The El Rey Network creator and executive producer of its TV series “From Dusk Till Dawn” said the show was a nice fit, so a character was written specifically for the 22-year-old singer-actress.
Aside from her personal connection to the series, which is her relationship with cast member Wilmer Valderrama, Rodriguez said, “I’ve always been a big fan of hers and she’s on tour a lot, so when she’d come to set to visit I threw out that we’d love to put her in somewhere.”
Rodriguez was cagey about Lovato’s part, which will be included in the show’s second season, premiering Aug. 25 at 9 p.m. EDT.
“From Dusk Till Dawn” is based on the 1996 film of the same name that went on to become a cult favorite.
Making a splash
Greg Louganis said he was unaware of fellow Olympian Bruce Jenner’s gender identity struggle when their paths crossed at the Summer 1976 Games and in later years.
The diving great, among the first prominent athletes to come out as gay, said Thursday he has yet to speak with the now-Caitlyn Jenner but can appreciate what she’s going through.
“We all have our journeys … whether you’re gay, straight, bisexual, transgender,” Louganis, 55, told reporters during a Q&A session on the HBO documentary “Greg Louganis: Back on Board,” debuting tomorrow.
