Not A Blog

That Finnish Worldcon wasn't all vodka and beer. It was also tea!

Maybe you missed the fun in Helsinki. If so, you certainly missed my guest appearance on TEA & JEOPARDY, Emma and Peter Newman's Hugo (and Alfie) Award winning podcast.

But have no fear, it's on line now:

http://teaandjeopardy.geekplanetonline.com/podcast/bonus-episode-live-tea-and-jeopardy-show-worldcon-75/

Enjoy. I know I did.

Australia is one of my favorite places in the world, particularly the city of Melbourne... and it would seem the Aussies like me too.

Melbourne, as it happens, is adding five new stops to its Metro, and in a fit of jolly Aussie optimism they have asked the public to suggest names for the new stations. And it would seem that names from my books are among the leading contenders:

http://mashable.com/2017/08/31/game-of-thrones-melbourne-train-stations/

I have to admit, I am bemused and rather flattered by this. The idea of a Melbourne Metro Station named Winterfell tickles my fancy... though, having been to Australia numerous times, I will assert that winter never really does come down there. Highgarden, the Eyrie, Dorne, Westeros... well, some names are more apt than others, admittedly, but all of them beat Station McStationface, which I fear will be the ultimate victor, given the results of other recent Name That Thing balloting.

Myself, I think they ought to consider naming one of the stops after the late great Aussie country singer Slim Dusty: they could call it The Stop With No Beer.

(I will leave comments open here, but ONLY for discussion of Melbourne's metro stops. All off topic comments will be deleted).

Okay, you caught me... well, some of you did, at least



Every April first, someone plunks my magic twanger and I can't help myself.

So, sadly, I must confess that Wild Cards is NOT coming to Broadway.

(But wouldn't it be swell if it did? After I finished writing that blog post, I was eager to see that show myself. And Kevin went ahead and wrote all the lyrics to one of the songs).

My thanks to Devilish Diana Rowland, who came up with the idea, and to Kevin Andrew Murphy and Christopher Rowe, who suggested some of the song titles.

And of course extra special thanks as well to John Hodgman, Sibel Kekilli, and the amazing Lin-Manuel Miranda, who went along with the gag and gave me permission to take their names in vain. (Though I think John really does want to play Dr. Tod. If there's anyone out there casting for a mad scientist, take note).

In case you missed it, here's the latest statement from FBI director James Comey on the bureau's investigation of Hillary Clinton's emails.

The Cubs have won the World Series.

Yes, you read that right. The Cubs have won the World Series, for the first time in one hundred and eight years. They are weeping in Cleveland and dancing in the streets of Chicago.

Surely the end of days is at hand. The seventh seal has broken, some rough beast is slouching toward Bethlehem (or Washington, D.C.), pigs are flying. The Cubs have come back from being down three games to one, and that bleating you hear is the billy goat that cursed them so long ago.

Somewhere Harry Carey is saying "Holy Cow," and Steve Goodman is singing.



Truth be told, I'm a Mets fan. We have our own agonies, sharing a city with the Yankees. But it's nothing like the pain Cubs fans have known. We will always have 1969. A painful memory for Cubs fans, and golden one for Mets fans. And we will always have 1986. Agony for Red Sox fans, magic for Mets fans... and especially for Parris and me, who were actually there for game six, in great seats four rows up on the first base side, so close to the field that we could see the stitches on the ball as it rolled between Bill Buckner's legs.

But I digress. As I saying, I'm a Mets fan... but I did go to college at Northwestern (1966-1971), and did my VISTA service in Chicago (1971-1973), and lived there in Uptown afterwards (1973-1976), so I have a certain affection for the Cubbies too. I certainly enjoyed many a lazy spring and fall afternoon sitting in the bleachers at Wrigley, both in college and after. (Okay, okay, living in Chicago and being surrounded by Cubs fans as I was, I took a certain cruel pleasure from the Mets classic run in 1969, mea culpa). I'd still prefer the Mets to win it all... but if it can't be them, I'm glad it was the Cubs. Chicago is a great city, Wrigley is a great field, and Steve Goodman was a great songwriter.

So congratulations to all my friends in the Second City. Enjoy the moment. Let's hope it isn't another hundred and eight years before it comes again.

There is one fly in the ointment, though. Last week, when the Cubs were down 3 games to 1, Nate Silver wrote that Trump had as much chance of winning the election as the Cubs did of winning the series.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

The Cubs have won the World Series. The end is nigh.

Register to vote.

It's not that hard.

Compared to some other things.



So register now.

And vote in November.

Vote as if your life depended on it.

(Because it does).

Let's take a break from the sadness of the puppies for something a bit more fun.

From THE TONIGHT SHOW:

Viserys III Targaryen, the Beggar King, is begging for followers on Tweeter.

Some of you may know Viserys as Harry Lloyd.

Check out his Supreme Tweeter:

http://www.supremetweeter.com/

 ... again.

First the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER named me the third most powerful writer in Hollywood.

And now, yes indeed, Barbara Walters has included me as one of her Ten Most Fascinating People of 2014.  The third, actually.  Though I am not sure the order actually matters.

LiveJournal is not letting me embed the video, for some reason, but for those of you who missed the show, here's a link:

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/video/game-thrones-author-george-martins-rise-success-27599428

(Look closely, and you can catch a glimpse of Parris, of Gardner Dozois, of various other friends).

It is gratifying to know that I am as fascinating as I am powerful  (this year, at least).  Plainly it must be the Autumn of George (obligatory SEINFELD reference).

Sad to say, however, I failed to win the triple crown.  I may be fascinating, and I may be powerful, but somehow, unaccountably, PEOPLE magazine failed to name me Sexiest Man Alive to complete the sweep.  They went with Thor... er, Chris Hemsworth... instead.   And, yeah, okay, he's all rugged and muscle-y and stuff, and his hammer is bigger than mine, but really... PEOPLE did not even include me in the list of runners up, although Kit Harrington and Richard Madden were both included (and congrats to both of them).

But that's the way it goes with triple crowns.  The Belmont always breaks 'em.

The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER says I am the third most powerful writer in Hollywood:

 http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/person/george-rr-martin

Mwaaaahahahahaha.  (Rubs hands together)   What shall I do with such awesome power?

Let me banish all reality shows from the air!

And these 'talent' shows too!  Instead of shows where assholes and audiences mack mock of wannabees who cannot sing and dance, let's bring back the variety show and feature really GOOD singers and really GOOD dancers.

Oh, and you movie studios... no more replacing screenwriters at the drop of a hat.  It should as hard to replace the writer as it is to replace the director.  And that "a film by" credit at the beginning of pictures should include the name of BOTH writer and director.  The film is by both of them, not just one.

And every TV series should be required to take X amount of pitches from freelancer writers and beginners.  That used to be mandated by the WGA, and way back when it was how a lot of newcomers got their foot in the door, but these days most shows find ways around it, and breaking in is harder than ever.

Since I am so so powerful, I know all this will come to pass!

(And if it does, I have a bride to sell you).

((BRIDGE! I meant bridge.))