On Game of Thrones, people are starting to believe that Ramsey Bolton – played by Iwan Rheon – is the new Joffrey. I think Ramsey is a sadist, of course, but Joffrey was probably one of the coldest psychopaths ever. Ramsey seems more immature than anything else, like he gets childlike glee from torturing people. I don’t know… I mean, I see the comparisons, obviously, but I don’t think Joffrey and Ramsey are “the same.” Well, Iwan Rheon is talking about his character and what we’ll see from Ramsey this season. You can read the full MTV piece here. Some highlights:

Iwan on filming a scene naked: “It was not the first time it happened, to be honest. You just have to get on with it. It’s not the first time I went to get my ass out for the camera crew.

Ramsey has a girlfriend: “Yeah, it is quite a surprise. He’s probably not the most caring and attentive lover. But I think she’s a bit of a crazy b–ch herself, isn’t she? Having a crazy bastard and a crazy b–ch — it’s perfect.”

Ramsey’s relationship with Theon/Reek: “He knew how important Theon Greyjoy was [before], but I think he got a little bit carried away, doing what he did… He managed to change Theon Greyjoy into basically a puppet; a subservient creature who wouldn’t even slit his throat when he had a razor next to it, which is extraordinary. He’s so afraid of him… That’s some serious work from Ramsay. Now, I think he might possibly be a little bit too overly confident with him. I don’t think he intended for [Sansa] to find him like that. He had to make a move. I don’t think he was ready to show her Theon; that wasn’t part of the plan. She sees him and his hand is forced, he’s got to do something about it, and that’s his reaction. So I think he’s still figuring out what to do, to be honest. I think he’s enjoying it, but it’s a dangerous path, because he’s got to have some humanity left — Theon, or Reek, whatever you call him.

Whether Ramsey will torture Sansa: “He’s got to behave himself a little bit better — he’s a lord now. I think his dad said to him, “Listen boy, no more f–king about”… I think having his father there is a huge influence on Ramsay, because the problem with Theon was he was left alone with him while his father was off fighting a war. Ramsay was left at the Dredfort to his own devices; he was bored. So I think having his dad there is good in terms of Ramsay’s behavior, because he has to try and behave a little bit better. But he’s over the moon with the whole situation — it couldn’t have turned out better. It’s the name for him, that means loads. If he marries her and they have children, then he’s got a really firm grasp on the north… Ramsay is excited… I don’t think he expected it to be quite so good when his dad told him he was getting hitched.

Whether Ramsey is better boyfriend material than Joffrey: “Ehhhh. [Laughs] Possibly. I don’t know. It’s a difficult one, they’re both pretty awful. I think that would have to be down to a personal choice.

On Roose Bolton’s “you’re my son” moment: “He was saying it to get Ramsay to tow in line and behave himself — possibly meaning it to a certain degree, but if he gets a legitimate son, how long is Ramsay going to live? He’s a nutter. Everything has a Machiavellian element to it.

[From MTV]

He also says that he and Alfie Allen get along well enough in real life. Over the years, I’ve heard Alfie mentioned as one of the more popular cast members, like he’s just happy to be on the show and he gets along with everyone. As for the rest of it… yeah, I’m guessing that Ramsey feels like he’s “on notice” with his dad a little bit, especially since Roose is expecting a child with his own wife. Roose could have his own legitimate heir in no time. But many think that Sansa probably will have to marry Ramsey anyway and try to get a Stark-Bolton heir in there. God, I hope it doesn’t come to that. Where the hell is Littlefinger?

Oh, and out of his GoT costume, Iwan looks totally normal and not-sadistic.

Photos courtesy of HBO, WENN.

Remember back in February of this year when everyone was pretty pissed off about the notable Oscar snubs for the film Selma? A lot of the conversation around the snubs was about the director, Ava DuVernay, because somehow she managed to not get a Best Director nomination even though The Imitation Game‘s director, Morten Tyldum, got nominated for his utterly by-the-books film. I went to see Selma in the theater, and it was easily my favorite film of the season. I was sort of shocked to hear that there was any backlash against Ava as a person or director, and it disturbs me to realize that Ava would have been treated a lot differently if it wasn’t for the fact that she is a black woman in a directors’ guild full of old white men. The DGAs this year were a sausage party, as they are almost every year. So, what needs to change? How can we make that change happen? How do we get more women directors? The ACLU might have one answer.

The ACLU of Southern California and the national ACLU Women’s Rights Project said Tuesday they are asking federal and California civil rights agencies to investigate what they call “the systemic failure” to hire women directors in the film and television industry.

The organizations have compiled statistical evidence of what they term “dramatic disparities” in the hiring of women. These findings are bolstered by anecdotal accounts gathered from 50 women directors. Fewer women are working as directors today than two decades ago, according to the organizations. They estimate that in 2014 women represented only 7 percent of directors on the 250 top-grossing movies. That is 2 percentage points lower than in 1998.

Ariela Migdal of the ACLU Women’s Rights Project said, “Women directors simply aren’t getting a fair opportunity to succeed.”

Recent research by the University of Southern California’s Media, Diversity & Social Change Initiative found a general perception in Hollywood that stories by or about women are more niche than mainstream, and therefore less profitable. A recent study by USC and the advocacy group Women in Film shows women have represented fewer than 5 percent of directors of top films during the past two decades.

“Blatant and extreme gender inequality in this large and important industry is shameful and unacceptable,” said Melissa Goodman, director of the ACLU SoCal’s LGBTQ, Gender & Reproductive Justice Project.

[From Page Six]

A nit-picky point, but I think examining data with such narrow parameters misses the point? The financial success of a movie is important, for sure, but women can make great, successful films and those films still won’t make it on the top-grossing 250 films of the past however many years. It should be about the number of women in the Directors Guild of America, and how many of those women work consistently with studios and production houses and what their experiences are within the system and outside of the system. I believe – and I don’t have the data to back me up – that as female directors declined in the studio system over the past two decades, many female directors found their homes in independent film and TV. That being said, the ACLU is also investigating female directors’ experiences in TV, and TV is as much a boys’ club as film. Anyway, this ACLU-directed investigation is an interesting way to call attention to all of this.

Also – check out this excellent Sh-t People Say To Women Directors tumblr.

Photos of badass female directors, courtesy of WENN.

This actually looks like a mask (Dlisted)

Justin Bieber apparently found people to check him (Just Jared)

Beyonce has a baby dragon (Cele|bitchy)

Princess Kate’s letter of support (Celeb Dirty Laundry)

Megan Fox on the set of Turtles (Hollywood Tuna)

Love this outfit on A…      

This actually looks like a mask (Dlisted)

Justin Bieber apparently found people to check him (Just Jared)

Beyonce has a baby dragon (Cele|bitchy)

Princess Kate’s letter of support (Celeb Dirty Laundry)

Megan Fox on the set of Turtles (Hollywood Tuna)

Love this outfit on A…      

This actually looks like a mask (Dlisted)

Justin Bieber apparently found people to check him (Just Jared)

Beyonce has a baby dragon (Cele|bitchy)

Princess Kate’s letter of support (Celeb Dirty Laundry)

Megan Fox on the set of Turtles (Hollywood Tuna)

Love this outfit on A…      

I love this dress on Uzo Aduba.

A photo posted by Uzo Aduba (@uzoaduba) on

May 12, 2015 at 9:10am PDT

Ryan Reynolds has joined Instagram and follows only his wife.

Stuck the landing. With my mouth.

…      

I love this dress on Uzo Aduba.

A photo posted by Uzo Aduba (@uzoaduba) on

May 12, 2015 at 9:10am PDT

Ryan Reynolds has joined Instagram and follows only his wife.

Stuck the landing. With my mouth.

…      

I love this dress on Uzo Aduba.

A photo posted by Uzo Aduba (@uzoaduba) on

May 12, 2015 at 9:10am PDT

Ryan Reynolds has joined Instagram and follows only his wife.

Stuck the landing. With my mouth.

…      

Sienna Miller, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Julianne Moore are among the long list of celebrities arriving in Nice today ahead of the Cannes Film Festival. Let’s start with Jake, because we were talking about him yesterday and whether or not the photo I linked to was of him having breakfast/lunch with Ru…      

Sienna Miller, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Julianne Moore are among the long list of celebrities arriving in Nice today ahead of the Cannes Film Festival. Let’s start with Jake, because we were talking about him yesterday and whether or not the photo I linked to was of him having breakfast/lunch with Ru…